17/10/2011 11:22
Francois Hollande to be Nicolas Sarkozy’s rival
Francois Hollande will try to unseat France's conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy and return a Socialist to the Elysee Palace for the first time in 17 years in an election just over six months from now.
Hollande, a moderate who says France must balance its books without sacrificing the welfare state or shrinking the number of state-employed school teachers, won a U.S.-style primary ballot on Sunday to designate the Socialist Party's presidential challenger.
He scored victory over his more old-school rival Martine Aubry, a former labor minister, with more than 56 percent of the vote.
Although he has never held a national government post and is little known outside France, the notoriously witty Hollande, 57, says he expects and is ready for a "fierce battle" against the right and far-right in the months ahead.