Macron picks minister to lead Paris mayor battle after sexting scandal

FILE PHOTO: French Health and Solidarity Minister Agnes Buzyn delivers a speech during a news conference after attending a weekly cabinet meeting and an official presentation of the pension overhaul reform before submitting it to the Parliament, at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France January 24, 2020. Alain Jocard/Pool via REUTERS

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron picked his widely respected health minister on Sunday to reinvigorate a campaign to win over Paris City Hall that fell apart when his previous candidate pulled out over a sexting scandal.

Less than a month before mayoral elections in which opinion polls expect Macron's party to fare poorly, Macron is keen to turn his fortunes around in the capital, where voters have given him good scores in the past.