Former French president Francois Hollande has caused a surprise by announcing a political comeback. The socialist wants to stand as a candidate in the parliamentary elections in the Corrèze department. “An exceptional decision for an exceptional situation,” he told journalists in the municipality of Tulle.
Hollande is the predecessor of the current president, Emmanuel Macron. He served in the Élysée between 2012 and 2017 and did not stand for re-election afterwards. He was very unpopular at the time according to polls.
His Parti Socialiste publicly reacts coolly to the news that Hollande now wants to enter parliament. An important party official only said that “notice has been taken” of that intention.
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It is not the first time that a former president has participated in parliamentary elections. Valery Giscard d’Estaing did this successfully in the 1980s after losing the presidential elections. Whether Hollande will succeed in getting into parliament may become clear within a few weeks. French people go to the polls on June 30 and July 7.
Macron called the elections after Marine Le Pen’s right-wing nationalist RN scored a major victory in this month’s European elections. That party also leads the polls for the parliamentary elections.
Hollande has already expressed support for a new partnership of left-wing parties. He said everything must be done to prevent the far right from coming to power.