Baku-APA. François Hollande, the least popular French president since the second world war, has announced he will not run for a second term in office, APA reports quoting the Guardian.
With a satisfaction rating so low it recently dropped to just 4%, the Socialist president appeared emotional as he said in a live televised address from the Élysée palace that he would not attempt to run for a second term, conscious of the “risks” to the French left.
He is the first French president since the war not to attempt to run for re-election.
Hollande’s popularity slumped right from the start of his presidency in 2012 when he was accused of a lack of preparation, zigzagging on policy and being unable to keep a lid on his government’s internal feuding on how to address the economy.
His intitial attempt to style himself as a “normal president”, paying no head to the superficial trappings of office, backfired and endeered him even less to the electorate.
He was currently polling at only 9% in the first round of the presidential race, behind both his former economy minister and maverick independent candidate Emmanuel Macron and the hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon.
In his address, Hollande said he felt he had achieved many changes in his time in office, including beginning to lower France’s stubbornly high jobless figures after decades of mass unemployment.
The question remains as to whether the prime minister Manuel Valls will now announce he will stand and take part in the Socialist primary race to choose its candidate in January.
The French presidential election takes place in April and May.
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