Former French Minister responsible for hunting tax dodgers and enforcing austerity acknowledges claims he has a secret Swiss bank account, dealing another blow to President François Hollande’s slumping fortunes as appeal of extreme-right rises.
National Front
Must-Reads from Around the World
The U.N. signs the first treaty to regulate the global arms trade, Malaysia will have a general election later this month, and the world’s poorest countries said they will commit to cutting their greenhouse gas emissions
A Winner, but Little Unity, in Battle to Lead French Conservatives
After 24 hours of chaos and fraud allegations, Jean-François Copé is re-elected leader of French conservatives with gestures to the far right that divides his camp.
France’s Right-Wing Civil War: Leadership Vote Plunges UMP into Chaos
Allegations of voter fraud add further bile to the leadership race for France’s main conservative party, as it chooses between its neo-Gaullist roots or drifting towards the far right of Marine Le Pen
After Sarkozy, Will France’s Conservatives Turn to the Far Right?
Warnings of “antiwhite racism” by one of two contenders for the leadership of France’s main conservative party spark controversy
Why Madonna’s Swastika Swipe May Actually Help Marine Le Pen
Madonna’s concert video featuring Marine Le Pen’s face with a swastika on it has generated a lawsuit from the extreme-right National Front party — and unease that the pop star went too far
After Socialist Romp in Elections, France’s Conservatives Face Existential Crisis
French President François Hollande’s Socialists win formidable legislative control, while France’s conservatives suffer the consequences of having pandered to the country’s far right
Hollande’s Socialists Win Parliamentary Majority in French Elections
The French parliamentary elections hand Socialists and their leftist allies the large majority that President François Hollande needs to pass progrowth policies — and challenge German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s austerity …
Meet French Candidate Marion Maréchal-Le Pen: Third-Generation Extreme-Right Militant
Though the surprising success of extreme-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen may have made her the most attention-grabbing contestant in France’s recent elections, the 43 year-old National Front (FN) leader may soon find …
“The National Front surge has effectively set the political agenda for the coming months, and the party will influence the priorities of whatever government comes next.”
French Presidential Election: Marine Le Pen Haunts the Sarkozy-Hollande Debate
With just four days to go before the run-off in France’s presidential election, incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist front-runner François Hollande squared off in a raw-nerved television debate followed by millions of …
A Dangerous Game: Why Sarkozy’s Bid for Far-Right Votes May Backfire
The electoral dilemma facing French presidential finalists Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande is as urgent as it is heavy with risk: how to lure the nearly 6.5 million voters who backed extreme-right candidate leader Marine …
Sarkozy’s Xenophobia: French President Panders to the Extreme-Right
French economic growth is slowing, unemployment is rising, Greece is still a risk to default, and the crisis-rocked euro—while somewhat stabilized of late—is still not out of the existential woods. Yet despite those burning …