![France President Hollande France President Hollande](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/france-president-holl_wong.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
By Helen Regan
France’s President François Hollande said Thursday that he may not stand for re-election in 2017 if he fails to cut unemployment by the end of his term.
“If I cannot manage it by the end of my term in office, do you really think I would go before the French in 2017?” he said in a televised interview with French TV channel TF1.
Hollande admitted that it was a mistake to promise that he could bring down the rise in joblessness, which currently stands at 11%.
But the 60-year-old vowed to “go to the end” to reform France’s weak economy.
A poll released Thursday shows the Socialist Party leader has an approval rating of just 12%.
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Biden Dropped Out
- Ukraine’s Plan to Survive Trump
- The Rise of a New Kind of Parenting Guru
- The Chaos and Commotion of the RNC in Photos
- Why We All Have a Stake in Twisters’ Success
- 8 Eating Habits That Actually Improve Your Sleep
- Welcome to the Noah Lyles Olympics
- Get Our Paris Olympics Newsletter in Your Inbox
Write to Helen Regan at helen.regan@timeasia.com