"I will not seek your votes for a new mandate." With these words, the President of France, Jacques Chirac (74) announced during a radio and television broadcast at 20:00 UTC that it's time for him to serve his country in a different way. The announcement was widely speculated about and did not come as a surprise. The official announcement gives the candidate from the majority party UMP, Nicolas Sarkozy, more freedom during the next six weeks that remain before the Presidential elections in France. Although Sarkozy is from the same party as Chirac and hopes to receive an endorsement from him, the President has not yet expressed his support for a particular candidate to succeed him, and he did not refer to Sarkozy during any moment of his speech.
Chirac doesn't want to be re-elected.