François Hollande’s popularity at rock bottom, but he has no intention of quitting
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Version 0 of 1. François Hollande insists he will plough on to the end of his presidential term, despite his abysmal levels of popularity. Mr Hollande said he would push ahead with controversial, market-driven reforms, even if the results come too late to rescue his already slender chances of re-election in 2017. In a media conference just before the half-way mark of his five-year term, a pugnacious Mr Hollande fought to re-build his credibility in the face of multiple scandals, disastrous economic results and an approval rating at an all-time low of 13 per cent. To emphasise his stature, he made several foreign policy announcements but recognised, however, that his presidency would stand and fall on domestic success. Asked how low his ratings would go before he considered resigning, Mr Hollande saie electorate had given him five years in the Elysée Palace in 2012. He would tough it out to the end. However, Mr Hollande came closer than ever before to admitting that he was now on a kind of political kamikaze mission – to achieve long-delayed reforms of the economic and social model before his almost inevitable defeat, or non-candidacy, in 2017. “I am President. I am not a candidate,” he said. “I have no other priority than doing everything possible for my country... All of my actions are for the future (of France), not for (my popularity) in the present.” During his last set-piece press conference in January, Mr Hollande was forced to fend off questions about his affair with the actress Julie Gayet and the future of his unmarried partner and First Lady, Valérie Trierweiler. He managed, however, to create positive headlines by announcing details of a change in direction towards a more business-oriented policy to cut pay-roll taxes and create hundreds of thousands of jobs. Since then failures and scandals have piled up on one another. Ms Trierweiler was dumped by the President. The ruling centre-left was humiliatingly rejected in European and local elections in the Spring. Unemployment has continued to grow towards 11 per cent and the country has failed to meet its EU budget deficit targets despite €50bn cuts in spending. The promised reforms are winding slowly through the political machinery but have not been enacted. Valerie Trierweiler’s book paints Hollande as a cold-hearted hypocrite (Getty Images) A ministerial revolt against deficit-cutting led this month to high-level sackings and a new more right-leaning government, which only narrowly won a confidence vote in parliament this week. Worst of all Mr Trierweiler took her revenge this month by publishing a book which potrayed Mr Hollande as a calculating, cold-hearted hypocrite who called poor people “les sans dents” (the toothless ones). Asked yesterday about the book – a runaway best-seller – Mr Hollande refused to reply. He referred the questioner to a magazine interview in which he had described the “sans dents” allegation as a “lie” which contradicted his life-long political work for “those most fragile”. President Hollande was also asked about a great – though long expected – politically event this weekend: former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s probable announcement on Sunday that he is abandoning his self-imposed retirement and returning to politics. Far from seeing this as a new threat, officials in the Hollande Elysée suggest that this is the first good news that the President has received for weeks. Mr Sarkozy remains such a divisive figure, they say, that his return may achieve the impossible and galvanise left-wing support for Mr Hollande and PM Manuel Valls. Asked about Mr Sarkozy’s likely return yesterday, Mr Hollande said there was nothing to stop a defeated politician trying to make a comeback. He pointed out, however, that when it came to the difficult and unpopular task of reforming France, Mr Sarkozy had promised much but left a seven per cent budget deficit and rising unemployment. |