France's Least Popular President Is Seeking a Comeback — Politico
Former French President François Hollande has officially announced his intention to run for president again in the 2027 election.
Politico reports this.
Despite ending his single term in 2017 with a critically low approval rating of 4%, the 71-year-old Socialist is actively exploiting internal divisions within his party to mount a political comeback.
Recently, the politician, who returned to parliament in 2024, has been making overt hints about participating in the upcoming presidential race.
Hollande emphasizes the historical importance of these elections, noting that the French vote will determine the future of Europe and could affect global stability.
According to current opinion polls, the main challenge in this race is the high likelihood of victory for the far-right National Rally party.
Prominent leaders of this political force, Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, have already appeared at public events in the spring of 2026.
Hollande’s return to high-level politics is fraught with significant difficulties, as current polls predict he will receive less than 10% of the vote, which completely bars his path to the second round.
However, his close allies, including former Secretary of State André Vallini, consider Hollande the best candidate for moderate voters due to his experience in overcoming crises, combating the 2015 terrorist attacks, and negotiating with foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Hollande’s path lies in an attempt to lead the Socialist Party, which is currently deeply divided by internal strife and unable to identify a single leader.
The situation is complicated by poor results in the last election, where Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo received less than two percent of the vote, which previously forced the Socialists to form an alliance with the more radical forces of Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s “Unbowed France.”
Within the Socialist Party itself, there are currently deep ideological and organizational divisions.
Current leader Olivier Faure advocates for open left-wing primaries, a move actively opposed by Hollande and a third of the party leadership, led by Boris Vallo, who resigned last month in protest against the lack of internal democracy.
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