Valerie Pecresse, the conservative who could become France's first woman president

Valerie Pecresse, head of the Paris Ile-de-France region and Les Republicains (LR) right-wing party candidate for the 2022 French presidential election, speaks during an interview with Reuters at her campaign headquarters in Paris, France, January 7, 2022. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier

PARIS (Reuters) - Fifteen years ago, Valerie Pecresse quelled a student uprising over her university reforms with the same blend of consensus-building politics and reformist mettle that she believes will now propel her to the French presidency.

Chosen to run last month by rank-and-file members of the conservative Les Republicains party, voter surveys show Pecresse could beat President Emmanuel Macron in April's election. If she succeeds, she would become France's first woman head of state.