François Hollande, France’s former Socialist President announced on Saturday that he would run for the parliament again days after his successor, French President Emmanuel Macron called for a snap election in the country.
Macron’s decision to dissolve France’s National Assembly came as the country’s far-right parties gave a performance at the European parliamentary elections.
The recent polls redrew the lines of French politics, with the country’s far-right parties ready to battle it out with a newly formed left-wing alliance.
Police estimated that a quarter of a million people protested across France against the prospect of the far-right coming to power. Despite all this, the latest opinion polls still suggest that France might lean right this election season.
Hollande served as the President of France from 2012-2017 and left office with record levels of unpopularity. While he is hated by parts of the radical left, even socialist leadership in the country considers him extremely suspicious.
On Saturday, he announced that he will be standing as an MP for the southwestern Corrèze department for the New Popular Front, a left-wing grouping formed for the elections.
‘An exceptional decision for an exceptional situation’, Hollande said reporters in the department’s main town of Tulle. ‘I am not seeking anything for myself, I just want to be of service’, he added.
The remarks from the veteran French politician came after speculations started brewing that he is considering running for the presidency again after Macron’s term ends.
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