President Francois Hollande took government and citizens by surprise on Thursday when he announced that he would not be seeking a second term in office and that he would be stepping down next year.

 
“I am speaking to you this evening to inform you of the decision I have taken in view of the forthcoming presidential election,” he said in a televised broadcast. “I have decided not to be a candidate in the presidential election.”

 
In a statement issued by Élysée Palace later that evening, he added: “I cannot accept, I cannot come to terms with the dispersion of the left, with its splitting up, because that would remove all hope of winning in the face of conservatism and, worse yet, of extremism.”

 
For months Hollande has said he has been unsure whether he should run again. Elected nearly four years ago, he has had poor approval ratings, reflected in part by a stagnating economy.

 
As populism sweeps through Europe and right-wing and extremist ideologies gain momentum, Hollande’s political decision will open up the French presidential race in an election where the people will have the final say.

Source: UPI