Former President François Hollande warns against ‘far right climbing the steps to power’

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00:00first constituency of La Corrèze, which have enabled myself, as an MP alongside Philippe,

00:07to come in well ahead of the vote at the end of the first round of elections.

00:12I would also like to thank all of the activists who fought for the new Front Populaire

00:17and who have enabled us to achieve this result.

00:22I am fully aware of just how short this campaign has been and of how difficult it has been to bring

00:28forward our arguments, to bring forward suggestions, to break away from the defeatist

00:34attitude that was present here and there. There are so many wounds, so much suffering,

00:41so much disappointment here in Corrèze and elsewhere.

00:45So there was a real fear that the far right may even here in La Corrèze win out.

00:53Thanks to this union, without which none of this would have been possible, we were able

01:00to make sure that it is the MP candidacy alongside Philippe Rouget that won out at the end of the day.

01:09I was committed but nothing was easy because it's difficult to be an MP as a former president of the

01:17Republic even though I was an MP in the same region for 20 years. It wasn't easy because

01:24we needed to convince people of the seriousness of the moment we are in,

01:31of the gravity of the situation we're in with a far right that is ever more and even more so

01:38than after the European elections climbing the steps to power.

01:43This is a major threat. We carried hope, we carried the hope that our proposals may

01:54become policy, may become implemented reform, but we also have the solemn duty to make sure

02:02that the far right does not achieve a majority in the Assemblée Nationale.

02:07If we do not fight as we have never fought before for this second round of elections,

02:15then the risk, the threat may become a reality.

02:23Have you seen the statements that have already been made this evening,

02:27as if Mr. Bardella, as if Mrs. Le Pen were already leading the country,

02:33as if the President of the Republic did not exist?

02:37But the presidential majority is scattered, so who now can fight for the values of the Republic?

02:44Who now will have the strength to carry the commitments of previous generations,

02:49everything that we've achieved in fundamental rights and social progress?

02:55In this constituency and around the country we have people fighting.

03:01We are fully aware that the main goal is to make sure that the far right is not able to

03:06achieve a majority in these upcoming elections, but we must also be aware of how we must unite.

03:15Uniting goes beyond just within the left parties, which is already the case

03:22and has been necessary up until now. No, we must unite amongst anyone who sees themselves

03:28in Republican values. This unity must be as broad as possible, and it doesn't matter

03:34what the political HQs may decide at the end of the day.

03:39Now, I was President of France, I led the country, so I realise the kind of responsibility that we

03:46all share now. All voters, no matter what they voted for the first round, must unite to make

03:52sure that the far right doesn't win. And I'm not talking about this constituency,

03:55I'm talking about well beyond it, other constituencies all around the country.

04:01This is why here in Tulle, in Corrèze, in the Republic, I am calling beyond the left

04:10that to step up and behave as it should. I'm calling on all Republicans to make sure that

04:16we can have an Assemblée Nationale that respects fundamental rights, universal values are respected

04:23and where social progress is guaranteed. This is our duty not only as MPs today,

04:30but that is also what we fight for, and I believe that will also be the case as a future MP.

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