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French Elections 2017

On Sunday French citizens will go to the polls in the first round of the country’s hotly contested 2017 presidential elections. The elections pit leftist candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon against far-right National Front leader Marian Le Pen, centrist Emmanuel Macron and the scandal-riddled conservative Francois Fillon.

France's election is shaping up as the most unpredictable in decades, with Le Pen and neoliberal Macron tied in polls for the April 23 first round, with Melenchon and conservative Fillon on 20 and 19 percent respectively.

If You Read One Thing

 

France’s National Front and Millennials: When Insecurity and Fear Meet Social Media

Among the biggest unknowns in the French elections is the level of support for the extreme-right National Front among younger voters. Older white voters have long made up the core of the party’s support, but its leader, Marine Le Pen, has taken to repeating that the FN is the party of choice for twentysomethings. It’s a claim worth investigating. READ MORE

France's Leftist Hope

 

Leftist Presidential Candidate Melenchon's 5 Ideas for France

As the first round of France's presidential elections to be held on April 23 draws closer, leftist candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon has been making the headlines in the media after the former socialist leader rose to a stunning 16 percent in the latest polls — only 1 point off third-placed conservative candidate Francois Fillon. READ MORE

French Leftist Candidate Makes Gains After Impressive TV Debate

In the lead-up to the first round of France's presidential election, French leftist candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon has received a major boost from one poll that indicates a significant boost in his popularity after he impressed during a presidential debate earlier in the week. READ MORE

France's Leftist Melenchon Surges as Frontrunners Lose Steam

A new poll on Tuesday showed left-wing Jean-Luc Melenchon nipping at the heels of the frontrunners in France's presidential race, building on his recent surge as sniping between the top contenders gathered pace. READ MORE

Rise of the French Far Right

 

France's Le Pen Under Fire in First Presidential Debate

Marine Le Pen's proposal to pull France out of the euro and her hardline stance on Islam came under attack from her fellow presidential hopefuls Monday, in a combative TV debate a month before the country goes to the polls.

France's Far-Right Proposes Trump-Style Muslim Travel Ban

If National Front candidate Marine Le Pen is elected president this spring, her party would likely implement a similar ban, party vice president Steeve Briois told AFP. READ MORE

Does the UAE Fund France's Far-Right National Front?

As the French far right desperately tries to find funding for the presidential campaign, secular Muslim states have been tipped as possible options. READ MORE

The Wild Card

 

Anti-Capitalist Candidate for French President Goes Viral

The anti-capitalist candidate is among the favorites in France's two-party system and provided one of the best moments in the campaign so far. READ MORE

Corruption Scandals

 

French Police Search Fillon Office as Fraud Case Rocks Campaign

Francois Fillon had been favorite to win the presidency for the conservative Republicans party until it was reported that his wife Penelope had withdrawn hundreds of thousands of euros in pay from state funds without doing any work. READ MORE

Le Pen Top Aide Put Under Formal Investigation over Corruption

The chief of staff of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was put under formal investigation after a day of questioning over alleged misuse of EU funds to pay parliamentary assistants. READ MORE

Europe's Far-Right Emboldened by Trump's Triumph

France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen was one of the first to congratulate Trump and “the free American people” for the result. Le Pen’s National Front party has been gathering support on an anti-immigration and anti-EU platform and is looking to claim a similar victory in next year’s presidential elections. READ MORE

Conflict in French Guiana

 

Guiana Uprising: France Offers Apology, $1 Billion in Aid

The protests in Guiana take place in the midst of a hotly contested French presidential election which will likely determine the fate of a 2016 bill which looked to address the longstanding racialized inequalities between France's mainland and its overseas colonies. READ MORE

France Leftist Candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon Praises ALBA

French Guiana and the French West Indies will join ALBA, founded by Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro, if French presidential candidate and communist-backed leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon is elected next month, he promised. READ MORE

Reason Why Guiana's Strikers Blocked Access to Space Satellite

Since its colonization in 1503, France has denied Guiana the same labor and health care rights that those on the mainland enjoy. READ MORE

 
  • title='A total of 11 candidates will compete for the French presidency in the first round of elections on April 23..' width="798" height="449">

    A total of 11 candidates will compete for the French presidency in the first round of elections on April 23.. | Photo Reuters

  • title='Leftist candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon' width="798" height="449">

    Leftist candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon | Photo Reuters

  • title='Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen' width="798" height="449">

    Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen | Photo EFE

  • title='Conservative candidate Francois Fillon' width="798" height="449">

    Conservative candidate Francois Fillon | Photo Reuters

  • title='In France, Islamophobia is taking unprecedented proportions: in this photo that went viral, armed French police confront a woman on a beach and make her remove some of her clothing as part of a controversial ban on the burkini.' width="798" height="449">

    In France, Islamophobia is taking unprecedented proportions: in this photo that went viral, armed French police confront a woman on a beach and make her remove some of her clothing as part of a controversial ban on the burkini. | Photo AFP

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