Former premier Dominique de Villepin said Thursday he was dropping his bid for the French presidency after failing to get enough signatures to qualify as a candidate, a move that could benefit President Nicolas Sarkozy, a fellow conservative.
Dominique de Villepin, the suave and sophisticated former PM, is now yet another presidential wannabe. He has the charisma, but does he have the votes? His bid means many of President Sarkozy's allies fear a splintering of right-wing votes. Also, we travel to Nîmes to find out how previous presidential promises to protect purchasing power have proved to be ineffective.
Despite a long and well-documented list of corruption allegations, the conviction of Jacques Chirac surprises many. Is the two-year suspended sentence a slap on the wrist or a watershed moment for French politics?
Despite a long and well-documented list of corruption allegations, the conviction of Jacques Chirac surprises many. Is the two-year suspended sentence a slap on the wrist or a watershed moment for French politics?
For weeks, it was assumed that impetuous former PM Dominique de Villepin had finally reconciled with his Gaullist rival, President Nicolas Sarkozy. But on Sunday, the unpredictable poetry lover and Napoleon fan took everyone by surprise by announcing he would run for president himself.
Dominique de Villepin - the flamboyant Gaullist, the man who emphatically said no to the war in Iraq, and the nemesis of Nicolas Sarkozy - took everyone by surprise this week by announcing he would run for president. Meanwhile, Socialist favourite François Hollande is struggling to position himself on the euro crisis and on a growing financial scandal engulfing his own party.
France's former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has announced he'll run for president in next year's election. Meanwhile, divisions are starting to appear within the Socialist Party over a corruption scandal. Finally, controversy over a new film reveals deep divisions over the thorny question of independence in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia.
The French nuclear giant Areva announces big losses and job cuts, worrying the papers who see the firm as a source of national prestige. We also talk about politics, as the number of presidential candidates on the right multiplies, and starts to worry Sarkozy.
A fresh corruption scandal hits the Socialist party - while Nicolas Sarkozy's old rival Dominique de Villepin announces he will be running in next year's presidential election. The papers also react to last week's eurozone deal - but can't agree on whether it's good for France.
Former French premier Dominique de Villepin announced on Sunday that he will challenge his political arch-rival, President Nicolas Sarkozy, in next May's presidential election. Villepin said he was running to "defend a certain idea of France".
