President François Hollande on Friday visited the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle located in the Mediterranean Sea close to Syria, reports Radio France Internationale.
Hollande met “military personnel taking part in operations to intensify the fight against the Islamic State organisation in Syria and Iraq,” a statement from the French presidential office, the Elysée Palace, said on Friday.
A visit that comes just 48 hours before challenging regional elections on Sunday, and that some see as him playing politics. The French far-right has reached almost 30 per cent of voting intentions in the first round of elections while the socialist party has dropped to 23 per cent voting intentions.
“The president is the leader of the armed forces. We are engaged in fighting IS and it’s normal the President meets his troops taking part in operations,” the Elysée said, stressing that Hollande has also visited French troops in Mali and in Central African Republic.
Hollande has seen a surge in his popularity ratings since he declared “war” on IS after the Paris attacks on November 13th when 130 people were killed. However this does not mean approval for his wider policies nor is there a promise of victory for Sunday elections.
The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is currently being used to conduct air strikes on IS targets and the French fighting force has tripled since its arrival off Syria on November 23rd.