Legislative elections 2024: macronism, “it’s over”, says Hollande campaigning in Corrèze

François Hollande is the fourth favorite political figure of the French. MAXPPP – Alexis Sciard

Former socialist president François Hollande, candidate for the legislative elections under the banner of the left-wing coalition New Popular Front, assured AFP on Saturday that "macronism" is "finished" and that he has "no score to settle" with his former minister.

"Macronism is over. If it ever existed, but it's over. What he was able, at one point, to represent, is over", declared the former president (2012-2017), candidate in Corrèze, a department in west-central France for which he has already been a deputy.

Assuring that he has no revenge to take, Mr. Hollande, 69 years old, says he has no revenge&quot ;particular hostility" against his former advisor at the Elysée and Minister of the Economy (2014-2016). "I have no score to settle. No way. All that is over", he promises.

Noting the "dysfunction" of the political system, determined to shake up the traditional right-left divides and without a structured party behind him, Emmanuel Macron left the government in 2016 to run for president the following year, which he would win against to the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen.

For his part, François Hollande, very unpopular, gave up running in 2017, with some commentators describing him as the victim of "parricide" from the young Emmanuel Macron – elected at the age of 39 – and his presidential ambition.

"None" other ambition

Mr. Hollande explains that he decided to return to the electoral arena after Mr. Macron's announcement of the surprise dissolution of the National Assembly in the wake of the success of the National Rally (far right ) to Europeans.

The former president said he then asked himself: "What should I do in this circumstance where the extreme right can come to power tomorrow, or very close to power if we are to believe the estimates, and with another risk which is that of instability, it's 39;that is to say that no majority emerged the day after the election ?".

Now the fourth favorite political figure of the French, Mr. Hollande claims to have "no" another ambition. "I was already president, why become a deputy again, there ? There is no presidential election. What would be the point ? I could have very well, if I had, say, an aim for 2027, said to myself: 'I'm going to wait and watch the chaos to possibly be a recourse. But that doesn't work anymore".

Mr. Hollande nevertheless believes that he will "not a deputy like the others": "Whatever the outcome of the vote, taking into account the position that was mine, also taking into account the experience that was mine, I will be a deputy who will be both vigilant and committed to finding solutions".