Presidential and parliamentary elections were held in France between April and June 2017. François Hollande, the Socialist incumbent, did not seek reelection. The Atlantic Sentinel endorsed the liberal Emmanuel Macron, who defeated the far-right Marine Le Pen with 66 against 34 percent support. His party won a majority of 350 out of 577 seats in the National Assembly.
Polls suggest former French president Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-wing strategy to win his party’s presidential nomination is not paying off.
After the seven Republican candidates vying to replace François Hollande, the Socialist Party incumbent, next year participated in the first televised debate of the primary last week, Alain Juppé, a former prime minister, remained in the lead with almost 40 percent support.
Sarkozy is polling around 33 percent. (more…)
French economy minister Emmanuel Macron stepped down on Tuesday, presumably to plan a presidential candidacy for the election next year.
“I have touched the limits of our system, the last-minute compromises, its imperfect solutions,” Macron said in a speech. “I want to start a new phase of my fight today.”
He stopped short of revealing his presidential ambitions, but coming four months after the launch of his own centrist political movement, En Marche!, there is little doubt in France what the former investment banker is up to. (more…)
