French auditors reveal a $43 billion funding shortfall for 2012 and ’13, forcing Socialist President François Hollande to shift his focus from progrowth efforts to measures that look a lot like austerity he criticized elsewhere
Nicolas Sarkozy
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
Sex, Scandal and Soap Opera Precede a Key French Vote
The feud between President Hollande’s current and former lovers has sparked a titillating controversy among French Socialists. But the right has to deal with a thinly disguised novelization of backroom scandals in the stronghold …
François Hollande’s Leftist Allies Lead French Vote
Leftist parties appear set to capture a majority in France’s parliamentary elections, leaving François Hollande with a freer hand to enact the pro-growth, socially-attentive policies he’s promised amid Europe’s debt crisis.
What Did France’s Political Elite Know About DSK’s Sex Habits?
A new book on Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief disgraced by scandals, reveals to what extent his friends and rivals knew about his sexual proclivities
Must-Reads from Around the World, June 7, 2012
Syrian Shame – The Washington Post reports on unconfirmed accounts of a fresh massacre in Syria on Wednesday, just as representatives from 55 countries met in Washington to explore ways to sharpen sanctions against the Assad …
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 …
Despite the High Stakes, French Voters Yawn at Legislative Campaigns
No one ever expected France’s legislative elections to produce the sparks and passion that this year’s presidential contest did. But given the stakes involved for France—and Europe—in whether Socialist President François …
After Greece and France: Europe’s Revolt Against Austerity
I have a piece in the dead-tree TIME this week that looks at the election of François Hollande in France and connects it to the democratic revolt happening in Greece. What do they have in common? Both are reactions to the …
Who Is François Hollande? What You Need to Know About France’s Next President
Most of the world now knows François Hollande as the man who won France’s May 6 presidential election, and in so doing made incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy the nation’s first single-term head of state in 31 years. Many people have …
After Winning the French Presidency, What Will François Hollande Do Next?
Though it’s an obvious cliché (and one that has already been used here in a related story last autumn), winning the Elysée may have been the easy part for French president-elect François Hollande. Given the severity of the …
France’s Run-Off Election: Sarkozy Faces Daunting Hollande Lead
Incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist challenger François Hollande powered through a last day of media appearances and stump speeches Friday ahead of the close of French presidential campaigning at midnight. The rivals largely …
Must-Reads from Around the World, May 3, 2012
Dependent Dissident – As Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng undergoes medical procedures at a Beijing hospital after leaving his refuge at the U.S. Embassy in China, the Washington Post poses questions about the deal brokered …