when should an outgoing president run for re-election?

Five Presidents of the Republic have chosen to represent themselves before the French, each with different strategies. The latest was that of General de Gaulle in 1965. He started just 31 days before the first round of the presidential election. Convinced of his future victory, in March 1981, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing formalized his candidacy 55 days before the ballot.

As for François Mitterrand, he launched a lightning and victorious campaign with 33 days to go. According to Guillaume Tabard, editorial writer at Le Figaro, “the difference is between the presidents who end their mandate in good shape, especially in good shape in the polls, and those who, on the contrary, are in difficulty”. This was particularly the case of Jacques Chirac in 2002, announcing his candidacy 69 days before the vote. He was re-elected, unlike Nicolas Sarkozy in 2012. Officially a candidate 67 days before the ballot, he finally lost in the second round against François Hollande. The latter is so far the only president to have given up seeking a second term.