Jean-Marc Ayrault
Montebourg placed third in the Socialist Party's primary election for the 2012 presidential election, receiving about 17% of the votes. François Hollande was first and Martine Aubry was second. After Hollande was elected President of the French Republic, Montebourg was appointed as Minister of Industrial Renewal in the government of Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on 16 May 2012.