President Hollande won't run for re-election if unemployment remains high
French President François Hollande made a shock announcement on Friday during a lunch with employees of the Michelin company: if unemployment continues to plummet between now and 2017, he will have “no reason to be a candidate” for a second mandate.
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Hollande said that employment, particularly for young people, was a priority for him. “We’re going to put all our energy into this issue because there’s no other challenge [this important],” said the president.
Hollande went on to say: “if unemployment doesn’t improve between now and 2017, I have no reason to be candidate and no chance of being re-elected.”
According to Stefano Scarpetta, the director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs at the OECD, structural reform is necessary to create and maintain jobs in France.
“Job creation depends on a short-term outlook, but also an outlook two or three years down the line,” Scarpetta told the AFP News Agency.
Hollande’s original purpose in visiting the Michelin site in Clermont-Ferrand – to increase direct contact with French people and businesses – was eclipsed by his shock statement.
The president’s promises to pull up unemployment rates and create jobs have thus far fallen through. Unemployment in France reached 9.8 percent at the end of 2013 and reached an all-time high in February, counting 3.3 million people without work.
France’s unemployment figures have partially contributed to Hollande’s continually flailing popularity, which has dropped to just 18 percent.
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