(Bloomberg) -- French President Francois Hollande tells the French they have values to defend in the context of a new Cold War -- a reference to both geopolitics and the country's looming presidential election.
“There are moments in history when everything can be toppled. We are living through one of those periods,” Hollande said in a televised speech from Paris. “Democracy, freedom, Europe and even peace -- all of these things have become vulnerable, reversible. We saw it with Brexit and with the U.S. election in November.”
Hollande, who came to power in May 2012, bowed out of France's 2017 presidential race earlier this month, meaning today's New Year's eve address to the nation will be his last as head of state. The Socialist leader insisted to French voters that they have a responsibility on the global stage when they cast their ballots.
“France is open to the world, it is European,” Hollande said. “It is not possible to imagine our country crouching behind walls, reduced to its domestic self, returning to a national currency and increasingly discriminating based on peoples' origins. It would no longer be France. That is what is at stake.”
Those remarks directly targeted the policies of National Front leader Marine Le Pen, who is committed to pulling France out of the euro, increasing restrictions on immigration, as well as putting up tariff barriers.
“Our main enemy is our doubt. You must have confidence in yourselves,” Hollande said.
To contact the reporters on this story: Helene Fouquet in Paris at hfouquet1@bloomberg.net, Alexandre Boksenbaum-Granier in Paris at aboksenbaumg@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alan Crawford at acrawford6@bloomberg.net, Mark Deen
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