The Shake Up In French Politics

French President Francois Hollande delivers a speech after awarding the Legion of Honour (Legion d’Honneur) and the National Order of Merit (Ordre National du Merite) to Olympic and Paralympic athletes at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. French President Hollande says he’s not running in 2017 because he knows he might not have enough support.
French President Francois Hollande delivers a speech after awarding the Legion of Honour (Legion d'Honneur) and the National Order of Merit (Ordre National du Merite) to Olympic and Paralympic athletes at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. French President Hollande says he's not running in 2017 because he knows he might not have enough support. Lionel Bonaventure / AP
French President Francois Hollande delivers a speech after awarding the Legion of Honour (Legion d’Honneur) and the National Order of Merit (Ordre National du Merite) to Olympic and Paralympic athletes at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. French President Hollande says he’s not running in 2017 because he knows he might not have enough support.
French President Francois Hollande delivers a speech after awarding the Legion of Honour (Legion d'Honneur) and the National Order of Merit (Ordre National du Merite) to Olympic and Paralympic athletes at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris, France, Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016. French President Hollande says he's not running in 2017 because he knows he might not have enough support. Lionel Bonaventure / AP

The Shake Up In French Politics

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France will hold presidential elections next year and the battle is heating up.

The country just had an American-style primary where François Fillon became the unexpected winner of the center-right party.  He comes from the Catholic, conservative right and says he wants to slash 500,000 public sector jobs.

Francois Hollande, the country’s unpopular president, recently announced he will not run in next year’s race. The unprecedented decision has shaken things up even further in a country that has seen the rise of the far-right party led by Marine Le Pen.

We take a closer look at what’s happening with Philippe Le Corre a visiting fellow at the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution and author of China’s Offensive in Europe.