(Bloomberg) -- President Emmanuel Macron's party chose his health minister to run for mayor of Paris after the release of sex videos led its initial pick to withdraw.
The last-minute change — the mayoral election's first round is on March 15 — is the latest setback for the French president, whose approval rating dropped to a national poll average of 32% in January.
The videos and an alleged text message exchange between Benjamin Griveaux and a woman were published on a website on Wednesday evening. Griveaux, 42, a former spokesman for Macron's government, withdrew from the race on Friday, saying his family “doesn't deserve that.”
La Republique En Marche, Macron's party, picked Agnes Buzyn on Sunday as its replacement candidate, Agence France-Presse reported. She's a party heavyweight, has served as a cabinet minister since Macron took office and has been at the center of France's coronavirus response.
Polls suggest that Macron's party was already struggling in the Paris race after a former party member, mathematician Cedric Villani, refused to clear the way for Griveaux and decided to run as an independent.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo, a Socialist, is running for re-election. Rachida Dati is the candidate of the right-wing party Les Republicains.
Read more: Macron's Candidate for Paris Mayor Withdraws Over Sex Video
Activist and artist Petr Pavlensky told French media he was behind the release of the videos.
Pavlensky, known for performances that included nailing his scrotum to Moscow's Red Square in 2013, has been based in France since obtaining asylum. He and his partner were taken into custody Sunday as part of an investigation into the videos after Griveaux filed a complaint, AFP reported, citing prosecutors.
The Griveaux episode drew condemnation across France's political spectrum, including from his adversaries. The Le Monde newspaper said it confirms the “Americanization of French political life.”
Olivier Veran, a lawmaker for Macron's party, will replace Buzyn as health minister, according to a statement from the presidential palace.
To contact the reporter on this story: Ania Nussbaum in Paris at anianussbaum@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, ;James Ludden at jludden@bloomberg.net, Tony Czuczka
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