mr. sarkozy sidestepped whether he would run in three years time. did criticize current president francois hollande's economic track record. both men have start -- have presided over crises but sarkozy said 2008 was different because it was a global crisis. francois hollande has mismanaged the economy to my he said. -- economy, he said. >> it's time for him to realize i'm not the president anymore. he is. >> it has been over two years since he left office and he remains a controversial figure. his supporters were waiting on sunday, ready for his return. >> i'm joined now on the line from london from french politics professor. thank you for joining us. what are your thoughts? he said it's not really a comeback. does it change french politics echo >> this is a classic maneuver. take some time away, in the desert, so to speak, and then return as a savior. that was done by de gaulle when he was gone after 12 years. sarkozy's problem was that he's trying to come back without never really having -- without ever really having been away. it was only two yea