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France’s Socialist President Francois Hollande will not seek reelection

French President Francois Hollande attends a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the Paris terror attacks in Paris on Nov. 13.
(Christophe Petit Tesson / AFP/Getty Images)
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France’s Socialist President Francois Hollande says he will not seek reelection next year.

Hollande’s announcement Thursday on French television network TF1 came just a few days after his No. 2, Manuel Valls, said he is “ready” to compete in the left-wing Socialist primary in January.

Hollande said, “I have decided not to be a candidate in the presidential election” and that he remained “lucid” about his chances of getting wide backing within the party.

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The deeply unpopular Hollande was expected to say in the coming weeks whether he would run again.

The French president — the most unpopular of France’s modern history — repeatedly said he would seek reelection only if he was able to curb the unemployment rate, which has hovered for years at 10%.

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