French Do Not Want Hollande-Sarkozy Rematch In 2017, Poll Shows

Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy, Paris, Nov. 15, 2015 — French President François Hollande (right) escorts predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, Nov. 15, 2015, a couple of days following the terrorist attacks in and around the country’s capital. Reuters/Philippe Wojazer

Almost three-quarters of French people want neither French President François Hollande nor his predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, to run for the presidency in 2017 and are eager to see new faces, according to a poll published Saturday. About 74 percent of those surveyed do not want a rematch of the last presidential election in 2012 when the Socialist leader beat the former conservative president, the Odoxa poll for Le Parisien newspaper showed.

However, the duel is still one of the most likely scenarios, with none of the potential rivals in their respective parties mustering enough support so far to lead their camp in the general elections next year.

Some 88 percent of respondents said the French political scene needs rejuvenation, the poll showed.

Among the politicians who best embodied “renewal,” Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron garnered the most positive opinions (55 percent), followed by far-right politician Marion Marechal-Le Pen, with 43 percent, and former conservative minister Bruno Le Maire, with 36 percent.