insert_link World Tensions flare between far right, Macron camp ahead of France vote By Paul Aubriat, Tom Barfield and Stuart Williams Tensions soared on Thursday between supporters of Emmanuel Macron and the French far-right after its longtime leader Marine Le Pen cast doubt on the president's ability to act as head of the armed forces after legislative elections. The far-right National Rally (RN) is tipped to win the election, potentially giving Le Pen's party the post […] todayJune 27, 2024 8
insert_link World France’s Macron has gambled. Can he win? By Clare BYRNE In the seven years since he swept to power on a mission to rejuvenate France's jaded political landscape, President Emmanuel Macron has developed a reputation for risk-taking. But in calling snap legislative elections after a trouncing in the European elections at the hands of the far right National Rally (RN) he has taken his biggest gamble yet. And one, according to analysts […] todayJune 20, 2024 7
insert_link World French voters scramble for proxy votes More than 550,000 proxy-vote applications have been submitted so far in the build-up to the French general election. The second round of the vote falls at the start of the French school summer holidays. Ross Cullen reports. todayJune 19, 2024 14
insert_link World France to try suspects over false Brigitte Macron transgender claim Two women are to be tried this week over false claims that France's first lady Brigitte Macron was transgender, which sparked online rumour-mongering by conspiracy theorists and the far-right. In 2022, Brigitte Macron filed a complaint for libel against two women who posted a YouTube video in December 2021 alleging she had once been a man named "Jean-Michel". The claim went viral just weeks before the 2022 […] todayJune 18, 2024 45
insert_link Africa France reducing military presence in West, Central Africa to 600 troops: sources By Daphné BENOIT France is planning to reduce its military presence in West and Central Africa to around 600 troops in line with President Emmanuel Macron's plans to limit the French military footprint in the region, three sources told AFP. In February 2023, Macron announced "noticeable reduction" of French troop presence in Africa, as anti-French sentiment is running high in some former colonies and countries […] todayJune 17, 2024 26
insert_link World Snap elections in France: a political scientist lays out what’s at stake By Julien Robin, Université de Montréal Speaking at a surprise address to the nation on Sunday evening, French president Emmanuel Macron told French citizens he had “decided to give [them] back the choice of our parliamentary future through the vote”. These words, pronounced in reaction to the historic surge of the far-right National Rally at the European elections, triggered the dissolution of France’s […] todayJune 11, 2024 11
insert_link World Macron urges French to make ‘right choice’ in poll gamble By Alice Hackman and Stuart Williams President Emmanuel Macron said Monday he was confident the French would make the "right choice" in snap elections he called after the far right crushed his centrist alliance in Sunday's EU ballot. His surprise move came after mainstream centrist parties kept an overall majority in the European Parliament in Sunday's poll, but the far right notched up a string of […] todayJune 10, 2024 12
insert_link World EU parliament election sees shaken centre hold – but far right now has chances to show its strength By Amelia Hadfield, University of Surrey After the four-day, 27-state democratic marathon that is the European parliamentary election, a picture has emerged of a fragile centre just holding amid a shift to the right that carries a significant potential to shape the near future of the EU, despite having fallen short of producing the earthquake some predicted. The big shock came in France, with […] todayJune 10, 2024 11
insert_link World Emmanuel Macron calls French Election Emmanuel Macron has called a snap election in France in response to a victory for the right in European polls. President Macron's dissolved Parliament and called national elections for 30th June and 7th July, as Ross Cullen reports from Paris. todayJune 10, 2024 5
