Former French President François Hollande is running in the election campaign to become a member of the French Parliament for the Corrèze district, his birthplace in central France.
The current French President Emmanuel Macron, who served as a minister in one of Hollande’s governments, called for early parliamentary elections after the great result achieved by the far right in the European Parliament elections.
“I have no scores to settle at all,” Hollande said during his election campaign. “All of this is in the past.”
Macron was re-elected in 2022 for a second five-year term, and lost his absolute majority in Parliament in the legislative elections in the same year.
The French will elect a new House of Representatives on June 30 and July 7, with the far-right National Rally party appearing to win the largest number of seats.
France’s two-round electoral system makes predicting results difficult, but Macron’s decision is unlikely to pay off with a new majority.
Instead, he may find himself heading a government run by an ideological opponent.
Hollande said Macron’s rule “has had a heavy political cost,” adding, “Parties have been badly damaged, and public morale has been damaged as well. The far right has never been so strong.”
The Socialist Party, led by Hollande, formed an electoral alliance (the New Popular Front) with other left-wing parties, including the Green Party, the Communists, and the left-wing France Proud Party.
The New Popular Front currently ranks second after the National Front in opinion polls, and both are far ahead of Macron’s Renaissance party.
“It is time to rearrange the political situation,” Hollande said.
He added: “I did not plan to run for any elections.”
He added, “If elected, I will be a representative demanding that I take responsibility no matter what happens. I am vigilant and committed to finding solutions.”
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