French official says Hollande to run for 2017 presidential election

French President Francois Hollande will "for sure" run for a second five-year term in the 2017 presidential race, Didier Guillaume, head of the Socialist group in the Senate said on Wednesday.

Guillaume told local broadcaster Europe 1 that even after Hollande faced a term overshadowed by terrorism and other major crises, "France needs him."

He said the president will make an official announcement in December or January.

Struggling with a persistent rise in jobless claims and other social strains, Hollande said in a recent interview that he will announce by the end of the year whether he will run again.

He stressed that he would not seek a second term if he failed to lower a long-term rise in unemployment, currently at 9.9 percent.

Polls have shown that the Socialist leader will be eliminated in the first round of the next election regardless of the rival candidates that face him. Endi