Candidate in Corrèze, François Hollande returns to the electoral campaign and assures that he has “no scores to settle”
Shake hands, smile for photos, drink a cold beer… François Hollande returned to the electoral campaign on Saturday by strolling through the streets of Tulle and Ussel, in Corrèze, where he is a candidate in the next legislative elections. Member of Parliament 1D constituency of the department from 1988 to 1993 then from 1997 to 2012 before being elected president, the socialist is running this year under the banner of the New Popular Front (NFP) against four personalities who were already all candidates in 2022: the outgoing deputy , Francis Dubois (Les Républicains), Maitey Pouget (National Rally), Gilles Oguinena (Reconquest!) and Marie-Thérèse Coinaud (Worker Struggle).
“He was president, what’s the best?” But the reception is positive, he is the king of selfies. We feel an adhesion”, wants to believe his deputy Philippe Brugère, mayor of Meymac. For his part, his main opponent, Francis Dubois, pointed out to Agence France-Presse (AFP) the large ideological gap between the socialist and his allies, notably “rebellious”. “We have a social democratic individual, who allies himself with [Jean-Luc] Mélenchon who wants chaos, revolution, obscurantism”declared the candidate dubbed by the Macronist camp, believing that “this is all that citizens vomit from a politician”.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse (AFP), François Hollande responded that he “heard” criticism of his alliance with the NFP, which includes many politicians who opposed his policies when he was president, described at the time as ” rebels “. “I place myself within the framework of a union, because it must be done, but without any form of confusion”he assured. “I think that moreover, at this moment, Jean-Luc Mélenchon should rather be discreet, because he must still measure the degree of hostility on his person, at least on his expressions. His silence, his withdrawal would undoubtedly be desirable for many candidates, including La France insoumise”he added.
Asked about his desire to “revenge” facing Emmanuel Macron, who was the deputy secretary general of his cabinet at the Elysée from 2012 to 2014 before he named him minister of the economy (2014-2016), François Hollande assured that it was neither his feeling nor his motivation. “I think it was Edouard Philippe who summed up the situation best, that is to say that Macronism is over. If it ever existed, but it’s over, I say it without particular hostility. I have no score to settle. No way. All that has passed”he told AFP.
The socialist, who accuses his successor of having “damaged” parties and “public spirit”also promised that he had not ” none “ ambition behind: “I was already president, why become a deputy again? There is no presidential election. What would be the point? »he questioned, recognizing however that, if he were elected, he would not be “a deputy like the others”.
