Heavily unpopular French President Francois Hollande announced that he will not be running in next year's presidential elections as the country swings further to the right, admitting that he would have a difficult task uniting his Socialist Party.
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"I have decided that I will not be a candidate," said Hollande said in a television statement. “In the months to come, my only duty will be to continue to lead my country.”
Hollande quits after only one term, and goes out as one of the most unpopular French Presidents in recent decades after facing ongoing protests over unemployment and labor reform, policy changes and US$120,000hairdressing bills.
Hollande acknowledged that he would find it hard to unite his fractured socialist party. "I am aware today of the risk that going down a route that would not gather sufficient support would entail," he said.
For the Socialist Party, the focus is now on current Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who many believe will take the party to the April and May elections, but the party – and the left in general – has been increasingly split. Arnaud Montebourg and Benoit Hamon, who were former members of Hollande’s administration, said they will run for president.
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France's far-right has also been gaining momentum, particularly in the wake of recent terrorist attacks, in line with rising populist and xenophobic sentiments.
Marine Le Pen, from the far-right National Front, has been growing in influence and said that she was not surprised by Hollande bowing out of the race. Right-wing candidate François Fillon has been rising in recent polls.