Hollande, François

   born 1954.

   Candidate of the French Socialist Party for the 2012 presidential election. He defeated runner-up Martine Aubry in the second round of an unofficial "primary" for the designation of the socialist candidate.

   French Socialist politician. A graduate of HEC business school and of theENA school of administration, Hollande worked at the Cour des Comptesbefore becoming elected as a député for the Corrèze - the same department as Jacques Chirac - in 1988. In 1997 he was elected first secretary of the Socialist Party, a most he held until 2008. At the time he was considered as rather a soft-liner, the rather dull partner of Ségolène Royale, by whom he has four children.

   However since Hollande and Royale split up, and Hollande was ousted from the leadership of the Socialist party, he has staged a considerable comeback, building an image as a serious candidate with whom the French economy would be in safe hands.