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10 Things You Didn’t Know About Former French President François Hollande

He is recognized as the first French Fifth Republic president who refused to contest for a second term. Former French President François Hollande ruled the country since 2012 and chose to leave office after his first term ended in 2017.

Moreover, Hollande steered the country towards significant reforms in the labor sector. He aimed to make the France labor market more competitive on a global scope. Thus the reforms enabled employees to change jobs easily and also gave power to companies to fire employees without going through complex processes. He also reformed the pension system.

To add on, his leadership was questioned on its security preparedness to combat terrorist attacks. This was after the 2015 Â鶹APP attacks that occurred in January and November. In 2016, another invasion on a truck at Nice took place which claimed many lives and left others injured. Delve more into Hollande’s political career and personal life below.

Here are the 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Former French President François Hollande.

1. François Hollande was born in August

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This former French president was born in Rouen on 12 August 1954. His father was Georges Gustave Hollande who was a doctor by profession. His mother’s name was Nicole Tribert and she worked as a social worker. He grew up in Rouen until his early teenage years when his family moved to the Neuilly-sur-Seine suburb.

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2. Hollande studied and worked at the prestigious Court of Audit

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He graduated from high school in 1972 at Lycée Pasteur. He went on to take law studies at Panthéon-Assas University. He also enrolled in business studies at the esteemed business school, HEC Â鶹APP where he graduated in 1975.

Furthermore, he joined political studies at the Institut d’études politiques de Â鶹APP. He also sought to understand the way around civil service operations at the École nationale d’administration (ENA). He completed his civil service academics in 1980.

Additionally, Hollande did his military service in 1977 attached to the French Army. Later he joined the Cour des Comptes (Court of Audit). This supreme French audit institution offered him his first job once he graduated.

3. His first political role was serving as a special advisor

François Hollande in the early and mid-1980s was chosen to become President François Mitterrand’s special advisor. During this time, he also managed to serve as one of the staff of the then-government spokesperson Max Gallo.

4. His first elected position was in the National Assembly

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Hollande’s first time in the French National Assembly was in 1988. He was elected as the deputy for Corrèze and represented the constituency in Parliament until 1993. He vied for the same seat in 1997 and he was elected. Thus he served in that capacity until 2012. He also served in the European Parliament for several months from July 1999 to December of the same year.

5. He assumed office as the first Socialist Party secretary

François Hollande was privileged to become the first secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) in 1997. He was tasked with the responsibility until 2008.

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6. He served as Mayor

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Before François Hollande became President, he had the opportunity to serve in various top-ranking public offices. From 2001 to 2008, he was the Mayor of Tulle. In 2008 he was elected to the position of President of the General Council of Corrèze. He quit this role when he became president in 2012.

7. Labor and security challenges stood out in his regime

President François Hollande’s administration faced labor hurdles. During his tenure, he reformed the France pension system which sparked mass protests and demonstrations. The changes to the system were opposed by Labor Unions, members of Parliament as well as the public.

On top of that, in December 2013, the reforms to the pension system were passed by the French Parliament. Some of the changes included increasing the amount of the contribution to curb a deficit that was anticipated by fiscal experts.

It was during the François administration that the 2015 Â鶹APP attacks occurred in January and November. Another security concern was the truck attack in 2016 at the Nice area that left 86 people dead and 434 others were injured in the event.

8. François Hollande refused to contest for re-election

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His one presidential term from 2012 to 2017 was enough for him. He refused to vie for a second term. This made him the first among his predecessors of the Fifth Republic to fail to run for a second presidential term.

9. He has penned several books

He is the author of titles such as Changer de Destin (Change Fate) published in 2012. Other books are Devoirs de vérité (Duties of Truth) released in 2006 and Affronter (Facing) published in 2021.

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10. He signed into law the approval of same-sex marriages

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On 18 May 2013, the law adopting LGBT couples was signed into law by President François Hollande. The bill was won by a majority vote in both National Assembly and Senate. Also with no opposition from the Constitutional Council of France, it became law. Thus, the first same-sex public weddings followed less than two weeks after the signing of the law permitting the same.

François Hollande is remembered in France and internationally for his bold political stances. For instance, the legalization of same-sex marriages in France took place during his regime. He was also confident in resolving the pension deficit challenge that the economists forecasted would have affected the country by 2020. Besides, he was firm in deciding to increase the contributions rather than increasing the retirement age as most economists advised was the best option. His legacy lives on.