Former French education minister Vincent Peillon on Sunday joined a crowded field of candidates in the ruling Socialist party's primaries to select a candidate to run in next year's presidential election.
Peillon, a member of the European Parliament who has stayed away from French politics since resigning as education minister, said he wants to bring unity to the divided socialist party.
"The primaries are a machine to produce unity ... I want to be the candidate who brings everyone together," Peillon said on France 2 television.