Elected as a member of parliament for Corrèze twelve years after leaving the National Assembly, does François Hollande hope to play a leading role within the New Popular Front, or even within a left-wing or coalition government?
He is back in the National Assembly. François Hollande was elected deputy in the 1st constituency of Corrèze following the legislative elections on Sunday, July 7, 2024. The former President of the Republic is therefore returning to the benches of the hemicycle twelve years after the end of his last term as a deputy. Faithful to the Socialist Party, François Hollande will sit in this group within the large bloc of the New Popular Front.
After the victory of the left in the legislative elections, which granted the greatest number of deputies to the NFP, without however guaranteeing an absolute majority, the union of the left is targeting the government. “There must be a before and after July 7. In the coming days, it is the role of the New Popular Front to rebuild a collective project for our country and unite a majority of French people” declared the leader of the Socialist Party after the legislative elections, joining his comrades from the NFP, such as the national secretary of the Ecologists Marine Tondelier who, more explicitly, declared: “We have won and now we are going to govern”. But to govern, a Prime Minister must first be appointed. The left calls on the President of the Republic, the only one able to appoint the head of government, to respect the verdict of the ballot boxes and to appoint a personality from the left, in accordance with the majority in place in the National Assembly, in any case before a possible coalition.
François Hollande candidate to be Prime Minister or not?
Several people have expressed interest in Matignon, but François Hollande has an opinion on these candidacies: there must be “a consultation for this choice”. The socialist also has a strong opinion on who cannot claim Matignon and this is according to him the case of Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has said several times that he is ready to occupy the post. But does François Hollande himself have views on the role of Prime Minister? Officially, he has denied being a candidate to succeed Gabriel Attal.
“To be in a government, you still have to be a candidate to lead it. I am not,” declared François Hollande on BFMTV after the NFP’s victory in the legislative elections. Although he says he has no views on Matignon, the socialist does not give up on playing a leading role within the union of the left and its possible government. On the contrary, he believes he can “bring [son] experience, but it is a matter that he [aura] to be settled at the Assembly and in [son] own party”. Rumors say that François Hollande might want to install himself as president of the National Assembly, which he attended for 18 years (from 1988 to 1993 and from 1997 to 2012). François Hollande has indeed insisted on the importance of the return of power within the hemicycle “which will take its autonomy” and “will take back legislative power”.
And to be Minister of Foreign Affairs?
Another hypothesis put forward is that François Hollande has the ambition to be appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. At the time of declaring himself out of the running for Matignon, the socialist specified on BFMTV that he could “be useful” in terms of “foreign policy”. A subliminal message?
The Quai d’Orsay seems to be an ideal portfolio for François Hollande. It is a high-profile ministry that escapes somewhat from the supervision of Matignon in favor of direct links with the Elysée. Because of his political experience, the socialist might want to avoid being relegated to a minor position or finding himself under the directives of a young or less experienced Prime Minister. Being Minister of Foreign Affairs also offers prestige and conversely placing a former head of state in this position could be seen as a guarantee of quality. During his term, François Hollande did indeed maintain relations with Germany and more broadly the European Union, the United States and the Middle East for the management of the Syrian conflict. But since then the relations and orientations of these political and economic actors have evolved. The fact remains that as Minister of Foreign Affairs, François Hollande would remain the representative of Emmanuel Macron, but the two politicians share the same line on the major points of international politics and could find agreements on several subjects.
What result for François Hollande in the legislative elections?
François Hollande was elected with 43.1% of the vote in the second round of the early legislative elections of 2024 in the 1st constituency of Corrèze, coming ahead of the candidate of the National Rally Maïtey Pouget and the outgoing deputy from the Republicans Francis Dubois. François Hollande was able to take advantage of the three-way race which most often favors the candidates who emerged victorious in the first round. In the absence of withdrawals, all the electorates remained faithful to their vote of the first round.
Before the second round, François Hollande regretted the retention of the right-wing candidate who came in third place in the first round, despite the call to form a republican front to block the National Rally. He therefore himself called on voters to form a republican front by voting for him. According to him, the “main danger […] “for the whole country” during these legislative elections is the arrival in power of the extreme right.”