Former French President François Hollande signals a return for the 2027 elections

Former French President François Hollande has given renewed hints that he might be a candidate in the 2027 presidential election. Hollande, who served between 2012-2017, told his supporters at a private garden party in the French Senate that he could once again be "useful" to the country. The former president had stated in his previous remarks that he prefers to postpone his official decision until the end of the year.

Hollande's return plans are built upon the turmoil within the Socialist Party and positive public opinion polls. In 2017, when he left office, this return is considered a tough challenge because he had the lowest approval rating (4%) of the term and faced criticism from his political allies. However, it is seen that his image has recovered over the last decade, and he ranked second among 50 public figures in an Ifop poll with a 49% favorability rate.

Despite this, being loved by the public and being electable present different situations. Recent polls show that as the likely candidate of the Socialist Party, Hollande's votes would remain below 10%, and his chances of making it to the second round are quite low. It is noteworthy that other potential candidates of the left wing, Jean-Luc Mélenchon and Member of the European Parliament Raphaël Glucksmann, are currently ahead of him in the polls.