François Hollande is a French politician who served as President of the French Republic from 15 May 2012 until 14 May 2017. Representing the Socialist Party, he rose to the presidency after defeating the incumbent head of state Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2012 presidential election.

François Hollande was born on 12 August 1954 in Rouen, France. His father, Georges Gustave Hollande, was a medical doctor, and his mother was Nicole Frédérique Marguerite Tribert. He received his early education at the Saint Jean-Baptiste de La Salle boarding school and later continued his studies in Paris, where he attended a business school.

Hollande went on to study at the École Nationale d'Administration and later completed his political science education at the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris, graduating in 1980. During his student years, he became actively involved in politics and formally joined the Socialist Party in 1979.

At the beginning of his political career, François Hollande served in a junior capacity as an economic adviser during the presidency of François Mitterrand. Between 1988 and 1993, he was elected as a Member of Parliament representing the first constituency of Corrèze, a mandate he regained in 1997.

From 1997 to 2008, Hollande held the influential position of First Secretary of the Socialist Party, effectively acting as the party’s leader for more than a decade. He succeeded Lionel Jospin in this role and became one of the most prominent figures of the French left during this period.

Alongside his national political responsibilities, Hollande served as Mayor of Tulle from 2001 to 2008 and later became President of the Corrèze General Council in 2008, strengthening his political influence at the regional level.

Following the defeat of his former partner Ségolène Royal against Nicolas Sarkozy in the 2007 presidential election, internal tensions emerged within the Socialist Party. As a result of these disputes, Hollande resigned from the party leadership in 2008.

In subsequent years, it became publicly known that Hollande was in a relationship with journalist Valérie Trierweiler, a political correspondent for Paris Match magazine. Their relationship attracted significant public and media attention during his ascent to the presidency.

By 2011, François Hollande was widely regarded as the strongest potential Socialist candidate for the 2012 presidential election and even received unexpected praise from former conservative president Jacques Chirac. On 16 October 2011, Hollande won the Socialist Party primary, securing his position as the party’s official presidential candidate.

In the first round of the presidential election held on 23 April 2012, Hollande received 28.63% of the vote, finishing first among ten candidates. He advanced to the second round alongside incumbent president Nicolas Sarkozy.

On 6 May 2012, François Hollande won the second round of the election with 52% of the vote, defeating Sarkozy, who received 48%. He officially assumed office on 15 May 2012, taking over the presidency from Nicolas Sarkozy.

After completing his five-year term in office, François Hollande chose not to seek re-election. On 14 May 2017, he formally transferred the presidency to Emmanuel Macron, the winner of the 2017 French presidential election.

In his personal life, Hollande was married to politician Ségolène Royal from 1973 until their divorce in June 2007. The couple has four children: Thomas Hollande, Clémence Hollande, Julien Hollande, and Flora Hollande. He later married journalist Valérie Trierweiler in November 2007.

Source: Biyografiler.com