France's socialist former president called on voters Thursday to back Emmanuel Macron, the incumbent centrist president, in his second-round run-off in the presidential election against far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
"I am a former president and I know that in an election of that importance, what is key is France, its cohesion, its European future and its independence. This is why I call on the French to vote for Emmanuel Macron," Francois Hollande told TF1 television.
"The Macron vote will ensure that Madame Le Pen does not win," he added.
Macron and Le Pen came out on top in the 12-candidate first round. He received more than 27% and she came in second with about 23%.
Just 10 days ahead of a runoff election that will determine who will lead the European Union's second-largest economy for the next five years, opinion polls show centrist Macron is slightly ahead of far-right rival Le Pen. In 2016 Hollande, faced with very low ratings, decided not to seek reelection.
Relations between Hollande and Macron, his former economy minister, who quit the Socialist government to run for office in the 2017 presidential election on his own centrist platform, have not always been smooth.
Former right-wing president Nicolas Sarkozy had also backed Macron in the second round of the country's presidential election on April 24.
"I will vote for Emmanuel Macron because I believe he has the necessary experience faced with a grave international crisis ... his economic project puts the value of work as the top priority and his commitment to Europe is clear and unambiguous," Sarkozy posted on his Facebook page, pointing out that they must abandon the partisan habits.
"Fidelity to right-wing republican values and our governing culture must lead us to answer Emmanuel Macron's call for unity," he added.
French media had speculated that Macron, who will need a new majority after legislative elections later this year following the presidential vote, obtained Sarkozy's endorsement after offering political influence in return. Macron later denied any wider political agreement with Sarkozy to endorse him.
Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn recently declared that he did not support Le Pen. He said Monday that the possibility of Marine Le Pen winning the French presidential elections is "a worrying prospect for the European Union and needs to be prevented by the French people."
