Hollande joined the Socialist Party as a student; he became party leader in 1997, but resigned in 2008 after two successive election defeats. Known as ‘Monsieur Normal’ for his unflamboyant style, he emerged as the Socialist candidate for the 2012 presidential election, in which he defeated Nicolas Sarkozy. His popularity quickly declined when his moderately left-wing policies failed to alleviate France’s economic problems. In 2016 he decided not to stand in the 2017 presidential elections.