Victor Goury-Laffont

French PM and government resign, throwing Macron into chaos The new administration had been appointed less than 12 hours before resigning. French markets and the euro are taking a dive.

In an incredible turn of events, France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has resigned after less than three weeks in office, pushing France even further into unchartered territory

Nicolas Sarkozy has been sentenced to five years in prison to be served immediately. He will be summoned in the coming weeks and go to jail.

Sarkozy found guilty in Gadhafi case The former French president was accused of accepting illicit campaign donations from the Libyan dictator.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been found guilty taking part in a criminal association

Sarkozy permitted his "close collaborators" to try to obtain funds from Gadhafi's Libyan regime ahead of his presidential run in 2007, the court found

The French far right’s financial Catch-22 The National Rally is under investigation in a string of cases that all point to the same problem: how it funds itself.

The far-right National Rally has never been more popular, and stands a realistic chance of winning the presidency when the next election is held in 2027

But it remains constantly dogged by legal troubles. I looked into why ⤵️

French police raid far-right National Rally’s headquarters Prosecutors said they are investigating whether the party broke campaign finance laws.

Full story: www.politico.eu/article/nati...

French police are currently raiding the far-right National Rally's headquarters

Prosecutors tell POLITICO that the raid concerns allegations of illegal campaign financing during the 2022 French presidential campaign, legislative elections and the 2024 European election

Seine swimming pool opening gives Paris mayor another jewel in her green crown Making the famed river swimmable is one of the final big projects Anne Hidalgo will inaugurate before she leaves office next year.

NEW: “The transformations that Paris made work better for everyone, including drivers.” I’m interviewed for this @politico.eu @victorglaf.bsky.social article on Paris Mayor @annehidalgo.bsky.social’s truly remarkable city-building legacy. @carlosmorenofr.bsky.social is quoted along with many mayors.

The first American ‘scientific refugees’ arrive in France Aix-Marseille University is wooing researchers who feel targeted by the Trump administration.

Aix-Marseille University, in the South of France, is looking to draw in U.S. researchers at risk of seeing their funding cut

Last week, its President Eric Berton even likened the situation to that of European academics who fled persecution by Nazi Germany

Meet the face of France’s pro-Palestinian camp The former Palestinian refugee-turned-MEP is making waves not just at sea but across Europe.

MEP Rima Hassan returned to Paris after joining the Gaza-bound Freedom flotilla and spending three days in Israeli custody

I spoke with her about the experience, her political rise, what she hopes to achieve in Brussels and the controversies around her:

France’s historic parties vie for return to two-party politics Les Républicains and the Socialists, the country’s old establishment parties, see a narrow window to reclaim relevance.

Les Républicains and the Socialists, the country’s old establishment parties, see a narrow window to reclaim relevance

But the road ahead remains long after a decade of electoral disasters ⤵️

Bruno Retailleau: From medieval role player to French presidential hopeful France’s interior minister wants to turn his center-right party back into a heavyweight political force.

Retailleau's comment on immigration and Islam have upped his profile on the right and made him a bogeyman on the left

With Macron barred from running again and Le Pen facing an electoral ban, he hopes to reunite right-wing voters around his platform

French interior minister wins leadership of top conservative party Bruno Retailleau has become a well-known figure in French politics since joining the government in September.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has won the leadership of the country's main conservative party — a win which will push the party even further to the right and could open a new chapter in his journey towards the presidential election

French interior minister under fire for slow response to deadly mosque stabbing Bruno Retailleau attended campaign events before traveling to the scene of the crime.

A deadly stabbing inside a French mosque has sparked accusations of double standards against the French government — and cast a spotlight on deeper issues of Islamophobia in France ⤵️

EU must condemn Hungary for ICC exit, Palestinian Oscar-winning director says Filmmaker Basel Adra also says Brussels should impose fresh sanctions on Israeli settlers violating international law.

The EU should issue a rebuke of Hungary for leaving the International Criminal Court if it cares about protecting international legal order, a Palestinian Oscar-winning director said.

Meloni’s solo Trump visit triggers anxiety in France “We need to be united because Europe is strong if it’s united,” French industry chief warns as Italian PM heads to the White House.

France insists on the need for European unity on Trump tariffs as Meloni heads to Washington

French far right floats toppling government in wake of Le Pen verdict Threats against Bayrou are increasing a week after Le Pen was effectively banned from running for president.

Two high-ranking officials from France’s biggest far-right party publicly opened the door today to bringing down the government a week after Marine Le Pen was convicted of embezzlement and subsequently barred from running for president.

Le Pen’s ‘Save Democracy’ rally after guilty verdict falls short of expectations The French far right has framed the verdict against Le Pen as an attack on democracy — but was unable to attract a large crowd to a rally of support on Sunday.

Marine Le Pen claimed that millions of her supporters were outraged by last week’s verdict against her. Yet barely a few thousand showed up at a rally to support her today in Paris ⤵️

Marine Le Pen’s conviction caused a political firestorm. Here’s what actually happened. The French far-right leader’s allies at home and abroad slammed the guilty verdict as antidemocratic.

The French far-right leader’s allies at home and abroad slammed the guilty verdict as antidemocratic.

But these talking points misrepresent what happened in over the course of a months-long trial that ended with Le Pen’s conviction on Monday ⬇️
www.politico.eu/article/mari...

Le Pen could still become French president after appeal slated for 2026 The shock decision comes after the far-right icon’s embezzlement conviction appeared to stop her running in 2027.

The court of appeals announced that a new trial in Marine Le Pen's case could take place in 2026

If the decision to ban Le Pen from running immediately is overturned, she could still stand in the next presidential election — even if she's found guilty

‘Jesus Christ also was found guilty and he was innocent,’ Le Pen codefendant says Le Pen’s allies are not pulling their punches after Monday’s ruling.

The French far-right spent months in apparent denial about Marine Le Pen's looming legal troubles

With the presidential candidate now convicted and barred from running for office, her top allies are resorting to attacks against the court system

Live from the Paris courthouse, where the verdict in Marine Le Pen's trial will be delivered in about an hour.

If the court follows the prosecutor's recommendations, the far-right candidate could be barred from running in the next presidential election. @politico.eu

Marine Le Pen’s presidential hopes could die next week. Her party hasn’t really planned for it. France’s far-right powerhouse, the National Rally, has largely avoided discussing Le Pen’s legal troubles.

The French far right could lose its presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen, if a court finds her guilty of embezzlement Monday.

Yet despite the extraordinary stakes, her party has done little to prepare for a bad outcome ⬇️

Nicolas Sarkozy trial: French prosecutors demand 7-year prison sentence for ex-president Former conservative leader is accused of taking millions of euros from Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to finance his 2007 election campaign.

French prosecutors have requested that former president Sarkozy be sent behind bars for allegedly agreeing to take millions from former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi to finance his 2007 election campaign

Macron: Sanctions should only be lifted once ‘peace has clearly been established’ The French president spoke after meeting with representatives from more than 30 countries.

French President Emmanuel Macron says the representatives of more than 30 countries who gathered in Paris have “unanimously” agreed sanctions should not be lifted against Russia until “peace has clearly been established” in Ukraine.

The House of Le Pen: France’s political immortals Marine Le Pen’s political future may be cut short. Her father Jean-Marie is dead. Their movement, however, is set for a long life.

Despite Marine Le Pen's imminent trial and her father's death earlier this year, the Le Pen family's mark on French politics appears to be stronger than ever

Today's front-page story for @politico.eu ⤵️

Le Pen family member heads to Israel for historic first official visit The trip could serve as a watershed moment for Marine Le Pen’s party, which has sought to dispel accusations of antisemitism.

Two French far-right officials have been invited to an Israeli government conference despite decades-long accusations of antisemitism against their movement.

The invitation has reignited tensions between Marine Le Pen and French Jewish organizations ⤵️

Gaza death toll tops 50,000 Palestinians since start of war The grim milestone comes after Israel resumed strikes last week following the end of a two-month ceasefire.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza strip since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, the enclave's Hamas-run health ministry said.

Canada’s Carney starts first trip abroad with implicit digs at Trump The new prime minister dubbed Canada “the most European of non-European countries” while speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney chose France for his first trip abroad, taking a series of not-so-subtle digs at Trump and emphasizing the need for a stronger relationship between Canada and Europe

We’re hiring: POLITICO Europe is looking for a Food and Agriculture reporter.

Apply here — and don’t hesitate to get in touch directly if you would like to find out more.

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Welfare vs. warfare: France’s political parties divided over cash for defense Macron’s calls for more military spending without tax increases have sparked fears over future cuts to social programs.

Macron wants France to spend more on defense, but is vigorously against raising taxes

With a hung parliament and no consensus on funding, the French president's plans for a better-funded military could face deadlock

@laukaya.bsky.social @sarah-paillou.bsky.social
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