CNN Editorial Research(CNN) — Here is a look at the life of François Hollande, former president of France. 1981 – Aide to Socialist President Francois Mitterrand. 1997-2008 – First Secretary, Secretary General and leader of the Socialist Party. May 14, 2017 – Hollande leaves office as Emmanuel Macron is sworn in as the new president of France. On July 7, he is elected as the member of the French parliament for Corrèze, which he represented in the 1980s and 1990s.