Thursday, Mar. 29, 2012
François Hollande
Age: 57
Occupation: Socialist candidate for the French presidency
In earning the nickname of Monsieur Normal, Hollande established himself as the anti-Sarkozy politician. Modest, self-deprecating and more comfortable uniting than dividing, Hollande has drawn millions of voters by promising a calmer, reflective, policy-efficient presidency. After five years of Sarkozy's frenetic, often cleaving reform initiatives whose results have often been disappointing, Hollande's insistence that he'll neither promise nor seek to do more than he can deliver is music to the ears of many French voters. Whereas Sarkozy blings, Hollande sings.