Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announces bid for second term amid debate on her vision, record

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo will officially run for a second term as those who live and work in Paris view the environmentally oriented leader in different ways.

"She's a very divisive character," said Frédéric Dabi, deputy general manager at lfop, a polling firm in Paris. "She's supported by the left and rejected by the right.

"But generally when Parisians vote, they're clearly voting on the main points of her policies, like the installment of bike lanes and lowering pollution in the air."

Indeed, Hidalgo is seen as having reduced the number of cars on the road, and making key side roads along the Seine pedestrian-friendly. But some have noted the deterioration of cleanliness in Paris, and Hidalgo's failure to properly coordinate the Vélib' bike-sharing system.

Hidlago is facing two contenders from French President Emmanuel Macron's Republic on the Move party, Cédric Villani and Benjamin Griveaux, and one from the political right, Rachida Dati, a former member of the European Parliament who is currently mayor of Paris's 7th arrondissement (district).

Municipal elections in Paris take place in March.

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