Hollande pledges ‘to finish with austerity’

In a whirlwind first day after winning the French presidency, Socialist François Hollande already has a to-do list that includes an invite to the White House, visits to the G8 and Nato summits, and a Second World War ceremony with his defeated rival.

Hollande, who has pledged to buck Europe’s austerity trend and Nato’s timetable for Afghanistan, appeared before thronging crowds on Paris’s Place de la Bastille early yesterday, pledging “to finish with austerity”.

Hours later, he was back at work, arriving at his campaign headquarters at around 10.30am.