Disliked French president says he won’t run again

PARIS — French President Francois Hollande announced Thursday that he would not seek a second term in next year’s presidential election, saying he hoped to give his Socialist party a chance to win “against conservatism and, worse still, extremism” by stepping aside.

“I have decided not to be a candidate in the presidential election,” Hollande said in a surprising and somber address on French television.

The 62-year-old president — the country’s least popular leader since World War II — said he was “conscious of the risks” his lack of support posed to a successful candidacy.

“What’s at stake is not a person, it’s the country’s future,” he said.

The Socialist party has been deeply divided over Hollande’s leadership, with rebels within the party calling for more left-leaning policies.