Latest update: 19/04/2012 

- François Hollande - French elections 2012 - French opinion polls 2012 - Nicolas Sarkozy - vote


Presidential Race: Mission impossible for Sarkozy?

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The polls look bad and some of his former allies and ministers are abandoning ship. But Nicolas Sarkozy is still convinced he can be re-elected and beat the odds of other European leaders who have been swept away by the economic crisis. What are his chances?

FACE-OFF
By FRANCE 24

On the set:

  • Philip TURLE, Journalist, RFI;
  • Mark DEEN, Journalist, Bloomberg News.
France's troubled suburbs: the same old story?
04/10/2012 - FRANCE 2012

France's troubled suburbs: the same old story?

The escalating violence in France's suburbs is becoming a headache for the Socialist government. How can they tackle crime without mimicking what the previous conservative governments have done for the past 10 years? Also in the news: layoffs are continuing to pile up, mostly in French industry. The government is trying to limit the damage, but how much can it really do?
Foreigners' voting rights, gay marriage: will Hollande's campaign promises be kept?
20/09/2012 - France 2012

Foreigners' voting rights, gay marriage: will Hollande's campaign promises be kept?

Will foreigners soon be able to vote in local elections in France? This is what François Hollande promised during his campaign. Will he deliver or will he pass the buck because the mood is not ripe? Also on the menu, another hot-button issue: will same-sex couples soon be allowed to marry? Again, this is one of Hollande's campaign pledges, but it faces strong opposition from the Catholic Church.
France: Is it a crime to be rich?
12/09/2012 - France 2012

France: Is it a crime to be rich?

Is being rich an achievement or a burden? In any case, it is a matter of heated debate these days in France. With the Socialist government planning to hit those earning over 1 million euros a year with a 75% tax rate, coupled with news that France's richest man has asked for Belgian citizenship, the left and the right have been at loggerheads over the issue.
President Hollande: is he too soft?
06/09/2012 - France 2012

President Hollande: is he too soft?

François Hollande knew it would be hard. But the new Socialist president probably did not imagine it would be this hard when he was elected back in May. And yet, the bad news keeps piling up, with unemployment hitting the 3-million mark and Hollande's polling numbers down. The French are growing impatient with the new administration and wonder whether Hollande is up to the job. Is he too soft or can he rise to the challenge?
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Budgets cuts and higher taxes: the end of the Socialist honeymoon?
04/07/2012 - France 2012

Budgets cuts and higher taxes: the end of the Socialist honeymoon?

The French saw it coming, and now they know the pill will be bitter to swallow. Socialist PM Jean-Marc Ayrault delivered his keynote address to Parliament this week, warning that France's ills are serious, and that the road to recovery will be a long and tortuous one. Meanwhile, on the other side of the political aisle, the battle is on to take the helm of the conservative UMP party.

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