MOSCOW, September 18 (RIA Novosti) – French President Francois Hollande, who remains widely unpopular in his country, is holding a much-anticipated news conference on Thursday, as the leader is hoping to turn the tables on several devastating weeks, reports AFP.
Over the course of the last few weeks, things for Hollande have gone from bad to worse. In addition to high unemployment rates and low economic growth, a French cabinet re-shuffle, caused after a number of left-leaning politicians openly rebelled against Hollande, has destabilized the government, the Los Angeles Times said.
To add fuel to the fire, former first lady Valerie Trierweiler scandalized Hollande when she said that he was “a cold and power-crazed leader who secretly hates the poor”, according to France24 News.
Polls published on September 5 by Le Figaro revealed that far-right National Front (FN) leader Marine Le Pen was ahead of Hollande and would win in the French Presidential elections if they were held today, the Guardian said.
Hollande will face reporters at 3 p.m. (GMT). The media session could last several hours and is expected to cover a variety of issues ranging from the President’s love life to the appalling state of the economy, raging unemployment and France’s military engagement in Iraq, AFP revealed.
Political analysts are skeptical that Hollande could turn the tides and change French public opinion. “The dreadful sequence of events he has suffered show that it is not just a problem of political skill or economic skill, but also personal skills. There is doubt about the person himself. It’s difficult to rectify that”, said Pascal Perrineau of the Institute of Political Studies in Paris, as quoted by France 24 News.
