French President Francois Hollande spoke on Saturday, December 31 new year’s address to French citizens. Turning one last time to his fellow citizens as President, he paid an important part of his speech the subject of terrorism: “I was proud to be President of the people, who have not bowed their heads and did not abandon its values.” And the keynote speeches of steel French values.
“For me it’s very solemn and very emotional moment, a moment that I want to share with you” — with these words began Francois Hollande his last presidential new year address. In 2017, France will hold its presidential elections in which Hollande has decided not to nominate his candidacy. In his new year address he summed up the results of his five-year mandate, warned French voters about the dangers that carry the programs of the candidates from right-wing conservatives and the extreme right, and the first and main part of his speech dedicated to the problem of terrorism.
The fight against terrorism
President Hollande recalled the “terrible attacks” that have experienced France in 2016, namely the attack in nice in Magnanville in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray: “I think now about the dead and injured, their loved ones.” Recognizing that the threat of terrorist attack remains high, as evidenced by the events in Berlin, Hollande said the police and gendarmerie, stating that all the necessary measures to prevent new attacks were adopted.
“Terrorism is not over,” Hollande repeated his words from circulation last year. The fight against this evil is conducted within France and beyond its borders, particularly in Mali, in Syria and in Iraq, where the President will go tomorrow to “salute our soldiers”.
The President dwelt in detail on the reaction of French citizens to the attacks of the last two years. According to him, the French have every reason to be proud of themselves because they did not retreat, continue to live and to love freedom and not succumb to the temptation of sweeping generalizations. “Because of the war with barbarism, our democracy will be the winner,” — said Francois Hollande. Another strong phrase, he said in the end of his speech: “I was proud to be President of a nation that does not bow its head.”
The loyalty of the French to the values of French democracy, — this theme was the leitmotif of the last presidential address, françois Hollande.
Calls 2017
France is a country that in the world there is a special relationship: “France in the world enjoys the respect, admiration, it is associated with particular expectations,” in this spirit expressed by the President. This is due to historical heritage, language and culture, “we have support all over the world because of our values: we love freedom.”
That is why France will safeguard the implementation of the agreement concluded by results of the UN climate conference in Paris in 2015. “We will not allow any country, however big it might be, to question the Treaty,” warned Hollande, responding to intentions to withdraw from the agreement, as mentioned by the US President-elect D. trump.
Francois Hollande did not mention directly nor D. trump, nor Vladimir Putin, noting that everywhere in the world, such as in Aleppo, where there is a mass murder of the civilian population, France is looking for ways of settlement “by dialogue”.
Referring to presidential and parliamentary elections in France in 2017, françois Hollande warned of the need “to protect the French social model, which guarantees medical care for everyone”, indirectly answering the candidate from right-wing conservatives by F. Fillon, who said that the French system of social insurance obsolete.
He also warned about the danger of the victory of the candidate from the extreme-right National front in France, which will close its borders and with its own citizens based on their national origin, will not be France — said Hollande. “So you bear a special responsibility,” he added, turning to the French voters.
The results
President Hollande summed up the results of its five-year mandate. In his first address to the French citizens, the socialist President called the fight against unemployment its number one priority. “During the time I had one priority: economic recovery to curb unemployment,” said Hollande. He noted that over the past year, the unemployment rate began to decline, and the pace of construction of dwellings in the country reached a record level. “Much remains to be done, but the base is laid,” — said Hollande.
New year address of the President of France was written shortly before the air in the hall Napoleon III Elysee Palace. After the broadcast the President went to the Elysian fields and talked to Parisians and guests of the French capital, who have traditionally come to this “main Avenue” of Paris for the New year.
