French president

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Macron Jolts France, Names Conservative as His PM

Signaling a new generation of leadership, French president is off to a bold start

(Newser) - French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Edouard Philippe, a relatively unknown 46-year-old lawmaker, as prime minister, making good on campaign promises to repopulate French politics with new faces. Alexis Kohler, Macron's new general secretary at the presidential Elysee Palace, made the announcement Monday. Philippe is the mayor of the...

France Swears in Its Youngest Leader Since Napoleon

Emmanuel Macron inaugurated, says all nations 'are neighbors'

(Newser) - France has inaugurated new president, Emmanuel Macron, a 39-year-old independent centrist who was elected on May 7, reports the AP . Arriving Sunday at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris, Macron slowly marched alone, under a light rain, in the Elysee courtyard. He shook hands with his predecessor, Francois Hollande, at...

France Begins Formal Inquiry Against Sarkozy

Judge will now determine whether charges should be brought

(Newser) - After 15 hours of questioning yesterday, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy emerged as the star of his very own formal investigation into allegations that he peddled influence. It's a staggering turn of events Le Figaro calls a "shock wave," and an unprecedented one for a former French...

French Prez Cuts Retirement Age
 French Prez Cuts 
 Retirement Age 
UPDATED
Jun 7, 2012 7:04 AM CDT

French Prez Cuts Retirement Age

Hollande rolls minimum retirement back to 60

(Newser) - As US voters and legislators are snipping workers' benefits , a nation on the other side of the pond is taking a different approach. France's new socialist president, François Hollande, is lowering the minimum retirement age by two years, reports the Telegraph . Those who begin work at the age...

Hollande Slashes French CEOs' Pay

New prez Hollande will cap salaries at state-owned firms

(Newser) - With France's new socialist president François Hollande moving in, it looks like sky-high CEO salaries are moving out, reports the Wall Street Journal . Hollande has promised to cap executive pay at the 52 companies owned or partially owned by the state, limiting them to a maximum of 20...

France Swears In Hollande
 France Swears In Hollande 
May 15, 2012 5:56 AM CDT

France Swears In Hollande

Nicolas Sarkozy has left the building

(Newser) - France today installed Socialist Francois Hollande as its new president for the next five years, replacing conservative Nicolas Sarkozy with a mandate to ease up on the austerity measures with which Europe has fought its economic crisis. Hollande, the first Socialist to have access to France's nuke codes in...

As Sarkozy Exits, US Loses a Friend

...But François Hollande might be even more simpatico with Obama administration

(Newser) - France's election was something of a can't-lose proposition for the Obama administration. On the one hand, the US isn't pleased to see the backside of Nicolas Sarkozy, an ally so steadfast that in France he was sometimes called "Sarko the American." Sarkozy, after all, was...

What Hollande's Victory Means for France
 What Hollande's 
 Victory Means 
 for France 
ANALYSIS ROUNDUP
May 7, 2012 7:48 AM CDT

What Hollande's Victory Means for France

President-elect has a packed first 40 days

(Newser) - Following last night’s victory over Nicolas Sarkozy , Francois Hollande will have to jump right in to his new role—he will be sworn in as France’s president next Tuesday, the BBC notes. What does his election mean?
  • Hollande has vowed to renegotiate the eurozone budget treaty Sarkozy championed
...

Hollande Wins French Runoff Vote, Ousts Sarkozy

Socialist looks to have won with 52%-53% of vote

(Newser) - Socialist Francois Hollande looks like the likely winner of France's tightly-contested runoff election today, according to early exit polls, defeating conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy. Hollande edged out Sarkozy in the first round of voting, and early returns show him up with between 52% and 53% of the vote. Sarkozy,...

France's Le Pen Endorses ... Blank Ballot

Far-right leader doesn't get behind Francois Hollande or Nicolas Sarkozy

(Newser) - Far-right leader Marine Le Pen is refusing to endorse either candidate in France's presidential runoff and says she will cast a blank protest ballot. Le Pen, who came in a strong third place in the first round of voting April 22, told her supporters at a big rally in...

Sarkozy, Hollande Advance to Runoff

President, chief rival will face each other in May 6 runoff election for presidency

(Newser) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy and chief rival Francois Hollande are headed for a showdown on May 6, after finishing as the top two candidates in today's first round of voting in France's presidential elections. Though the French government has yet to finalize the tally, the Wall Street Journal ...

Sarkozy Son in Trouble for Chucking Marbles at Cop

Louis apologizes for striking female gendarme

(Newser) - Not the best move for the son of a law-and-order candidate: French President Nicolas Sarkozy's 14-year-old boy is in trouble for chucking marbles—and a tomato—at a female gendarme at the Elysée presidential palace. Louis apparently decided to pelt the cop on guard across the street as...

France Finds Chirac Guilty of Corruption

Suspended sentence seen as seachange against French corruption

(Newser) - A French court found former President Jacques Chirac guilty of embezzling public funds to illegally finance the conservative party he long led, in a historic verdict today with repercussions for his legacy and France's political elite. Chirac will not go behind bars, but was handed a two-year suspended prison...

French Leaders Keep Health Hush-Hush

(Newser) - Don't expect French President Nicolas Sarkozy to talk about being rushed to the hospital after he collapsed during a jog yesterday. If he's anything like his predecessors, he'll probably say nothing at all, reports AFP. Since 1974, when President Georges Pompidou died while in office from leukemia, French leaders have...

Obamas Pass on Dinner With Sarkozys

President and first lady turn down dinner invitation from French hosts

(Newser) - The Obamas arrive in Paris tonight, but the president and the first lady have told the Sarkozys that they'll need a little time alone. Barack and Michelle declined a dinner invitation from the French president and wife Carla Bruni, even though they are staying at the American ambassador's residence—right...

Hackers Get Bank Accounts of Sarko's Dad, Ex-Wife

Investigators now believe thieves may have been politically motivated

(Newser) - The same hackers who stole small amounts of money from Nicolas Sarkozy’s bank account appear to have gotten into the accounts of his father and first wife as well, the Times of London reports. They didn't steal money but rather set up phony cell-phone accounts. Police initially thought the...

Sarkozy Puts France on Speed
 Sarkozy
 Puts France
 on Speed 
OPINION
Jul 17, 2008 8:05 AM CDT

Sarkozy Puts France on Speed

Sarkozy is 'the most important European leader of his time,' writes Cohen

(Newser) - His love life may be distracting and his poll ratings may be low, but Nicolas Sarkozy is "a tonic to his country and the most important European leader of his time," writes New York Times columnist Roger Cohen. In just 14 months the French president has led a...

Sarko's Love Life Now 3 Open Books
Sarko's Love Life Now 3
Open Books
Feb 10, 2008 9:51 AM CST

Sarko's Love Life Now 3 Open Books

Bruni wanted man with nuke power, says 1 new tome on courtship

(Newser) - Ooh-la-la, that French president Nicolas Sarkozy has a certain je ne sais quoi when it comes to marrying beautiful women, n'est-ce pas? But now his secret is out and his wife-wooing technique is carefully detailed in three new books rushed to print, reports the Times of London. 

18 Stories