French front-runner pledges to cut his pay by 30 per cent as he aims to become next president

Saying a president could remain “ambitious for his country and humble for
himself”, he promised a radical change of leadership style from the
showy Mr Sarkozy. “I stand by a simplicity that is not restraint but
the mark of genuine authority,” he told party members.

“I like people while others are fascinated by money … I will be the
president of the end of privileges,” he said, accusing Mr Sarkozy of
presiding over the “degradation” of France just days after the
country lost its coveted triple A credit rating for government loans.

In a stridently Left-wing discourse, he said: “My real adversary has no
name, no face, no party … it’s the world of finance.”

Saving details of his manifesto until later this week, Mr Hollande did promise
to cut his own pay by and that of government by 30 per cent if elected. He
said he would rewrite Europe’s fiscal pact to insert measures to spur
growth.

Little known outside France, Mr Hollande has never held a ministerial post,
but nevertheless cast himself as the natural successor to François
Mitterrand, the last left-winger to win the presidency in 1988.

“Some people criticise me for never having been minister. When I see who
they are today, I’m reassured!,” he said.

Invoking the legacy of 1789 and 1968, he asked to be judged on how much he
improved the lot of young voters by the end of his mandate.

The latest poll puts Hollande on 30 per cent compared to Sarkozy’s 23 per cent
and with Marine Le Pen in third with 18 per cent. But the gap has narrowed
and Mr Sarkozy is betting on support for Mr Hollande collapsing in the final
run-up to the first round on April 22.

With this in mind, he intends to launch his official campaign as late as
mid-March.

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