Francois Hollande’s plummeting popularity suggests he could be abandoned by his own party
Many leftist politicians and intellectuals have called for an open primary, a move with little political precedent in France.
On Thursday, French President Francois Hollande submitted to a lengthy televised interview for the first time in months. His mission: to persuade those who elected him in 2012 – the young and the Socialists – not to abandon him in the presidential election next year.
Many already have. As the French unemployment rate hovers just over 10 per cent, Hollande’s approval levels have plummeted to a historic low of 17 per cent, according to a poll last month. Despite a momentary boost in popularity after the November terrorist attacks in Paris, the Socialist incumbent is increasingly scorned – especially by those in his own camp.
Unfortunately, he lost it with the déchéance and the loi de travail. These were absolutely catastrophic
Many in his party now view their leader as a traitor who has increasingly inched to the right in the wake of the November attacks. Hoping to field a different candidate in next year’s election, many leftist politicians and intellectuals have called for an open primary, a move with little political precedent in France.
Although whether this will happen remains unclear, Hollande’s low approval ratings have made such a primary more possible.
Those who want Hollande replaced have criticised his attempt to pass a constitutional amendment that would have permitted stripping French citizenship from dual citizens convicted of terrorism and proposed labour reforms that would weaken protections for French workers. Both were seen as affronts to the fundamental values of the French left as the party of social equality.
