# François Hollande elected president (2012)

URL: https://history-france.com/timeline/2012-francois-hollande-elected-president
Location: France
Categories: ruler-change

Hollande defeated Sarkozy and returned the presidency to the Socialist Party. Within the broader Fifth Republic period, The 1958 Constitution created a stronger presidency and a durable Fifth Republic. Decolonization, European integration, social change, economic shocks and recurring debates over identity, secularism and the role of the state have shaped contemporary France. At this point in the timeline, the relevant governing authority is François Hollande (President of the French Republic). François Hollande elected president mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy. The event is positioned here so visitors can read it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion, culture and France’s wider international setting.

## Why it matters
François Hollande elected president mattered because succession and legitimacy shaped alliances, institutions and the direction of state policy.

Ruler at the time: [François Hollande](https://history-france.com/rulers/francois-hollande)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — François Hollande elected president](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Fran%C3%A7ois+Hollande+elected+president&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — François Hollande elected president](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Fran%C3%A7ois+Hollande+elected+president)
- [Élysée — Institutions of the Fifth Republic](https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/the-institutions)
- [Élysée — Presidents of the Republic](https://www.elysee.fr/en/french-presidency/the-presidents-of-the-republic)