France's Hollande says may run in 2027 if victory looks attainable

Former French President Francois Hollande said he may decide to run for president in 2027, but only if ​he sees a real chance of winning. 

"Running for the presidency is not a decision to be taken lightly, all the more so for ​a former head of state like myself," Reuters quoted Hollande ​as saying in an interview with Italian daily la Repubblica.

He added he would consider running ⁠only under exceptional circumstances and only if there was ​a realistic chance of reaching the runoff and ultimately win.

Hollande, ​72, was France's president from 2012 to 2017. The French presidential election will be held in the spring of 2027.

French far-right leader Marine ​Le Pen maintained her lead for the first-round of the ​presidential election and far-left rival Jean-Luc Melenchon was second in most tested ‌scenarios, according ⁠to a poll released two weeks ago.

"The France of 2027 bears ​little resemblance to the one I governed. We ​are ⁠facing a more threatening, more dangerous and harsher world, and a European continent that has become a target for powers such ⁠as ​the United States, China and Russia. ​Europe is confronting an existential crisis," former president Hollande also said.