Who will be France's next president?

With six months to go before France's presidential election in April and May 2017, the incumbent head of state François Hollande is lagging far behind in the polls. Only four percent of the French are satisfied with his performance. Commentators speculate that this could push many Socialists to make an unusual decision.

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La Repubblica (IT) /

Socialists could vote for Juppé

The socialists will have no choice but to participate in the conservative primaries, La Repubblica predicts.

“One wonders whether Hollande will dare to run again. The future does not look too bright for him, starting with the primaries, which he will face in January if he does decide to stand again. In the meantime, among the Socialists who have resigned themselves to defeat, there are quite a few who are considering voting in the open election primaries of the conservatives in November. It will be very tempting to vote for the moderate leading candidate Alain Juppé, the lesser evil, in order to avoid the greater evil, namely the victory of his rival Nicolas Sarkozy. In the presidential elections in May it will be easier for voters on the left to vote for Juppé, who has to win against his populist opponent in the run-off. Otherwise Marine Le Pen could take the lead in the first round of voting.”

Le Jeudi (LU) /

Where are the good candidates?

Following on from François Hollande's disappointing term in office there are no indications of any positive changes afoot in France, Le Jeudi claims:

“He should make decisions, resolve things. Why can't he just call a spade a spade as in the case of Florange [the furnaces threatened with closure in the east of France]? Ambivalence could be his downfall although he has not actually lied. ... François Hollande had everything he needed to be successful. In theory. In practice he proved to be useless. ... Sometime appearances can be deceptive. ... The president's failure has damaged France's image and the worst part of it is that there's nothing better on the horizon. Either on the left or the right. Is there anyone in this club of self-appointed presidential candidates that can inspire people to dream? People need dreams, because without hope, there is no progress.”