France Welcomes Socialist Francois Hollande as President

For someone with no experience in national governance, Francois Hollande’s win in the French presidential elections on May 6, 2012 is nothing short of remarkable. The first Socialist to have earned the Presidential title since Francois Mitterrand (1988), Hollande ousted Conservative Nicolas Sarkozy by 51.63%. Supporters of Hollande celebrated over at the Place de la Bastille in Paris, where people assembled and champagne flowed. Sarkozy, on the other hand, admits to plans of pulling out from politics after his defeat.

Fiscal Efforts on Growth

Francois Hollande delivered his speech after his victorious win, saying that he was proud to have given hope, once more, to his people. He also referred to himself as the “president of the youth of France”. During the campaign, Hollande focused on his fiscal plans for growth, and making budget deficit controls. The new president hopes to end the budget deficit to nil by the year 2017. A few of his major polices are targeted on tax reforms and minimum wage increases.

Who is Francois Hollande?

Known for his calm character and mild manners, the 57-year old Francois Hollande is the son of a physician father and a social worker mother. Working as a Court of Audit councilor after graduation, he became a member of the Socialist party years after working for Francois Mitterrand and his unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1974. From 1997 to 2008 Hollande served as the First Secretary of the French Socialist Party. He also sat as the mayor of Tulle, with his term commencing from 2001 to 2008. On May 6, 2012 Francois Hollande was elected President of France, with the first round of the elections held on the 22^nd of April.

A published author and academic writer, Francois Hollande has four children with Segolene Royal, also a Socialist politician (who was against Nicolas Sarkozy for presidential french elections in 2007). While his relationship with Royal as civil partner spanned more than thirty years, the couple has made announcements about their separation in June 2007.