Improved Le Pen fails to land knockout blow against Macron in TV debate
The far-right leader bettered her 2017 performance, but not enough to create the momentum her presidential campaign needs.
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France’s election is far too close for comfort
In 2017 Emmanuel Macron pledged to weaken the support for Marine Le Pen’s party. Five years on it is stronger…
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Travelling through Macron’s France, from the Channel to the Mediterranean – Audio Long Reads
France still lies in the shadow of Charles de Gaulle.
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Why Marine Le Pen’s nationalism would be disastrous for climate action
The election of the far-right candidate would likely derail Europe’s net zero ambitions.
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The evolution of Marine Le Pen
The far-right leader has worked hard to detoxify her image, but scratch off the campaign polish and the same philosophy…
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At Macron’s election night there is relief and trepidation about the task ahead
Despite doing better than expected in the first round, there is a realisation that the run-off campaign could go either…
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Exclusive polling: Marine Le Pen on 49 per cent of the vote for French president
The far-right leader is closer than she has ever been to power, a YouGov and Datapraxis poll shows.
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Could Marine Le Pen really win the French presidency?
The far-right leader’s longstanding strategy of pushing left on economic issues appears a wise choice amid a cost-of-living crisis.
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Macron could face left-winger in run-off as French voters turn focus to presidential election
If enough left-wing supporters vote tactically for Jean-Luc Mélenchon, he may be able to squeak through to the second round.
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In the long shadow of De Gaulle
As France's presidential election nears against the backdrop of war, our writer travels from the Channel to the Mediterranean.
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Europe enters a brave new world
The war in Ukraine has marked a turning point for the EU, and Emmanuel Macron is leading the way.
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Who will win the French presidential election?
Will Emmanuel Macron hold on? The latest from the New Statesman’s poll tracker.
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Éric Zemmour and the French far right’s gender gap
Zemmour’s sexism is a throwback to the pre-Marine Le Pen days of French nationalism, and it will hurt him at…
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Hoping to stave off war in Ukraine, Macron goes to Moscow
The French president is perhaps better placed than most Western leaders to talk to Vladimir Putin.
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French mayors fear to back extreme candidates for president
Collecting 500 signatures should be little more than a formality, but not for Éric Zemmour and Marine Le Pen.
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Emmanuel Macron doesn’t plan to let the right monopolise anti-immigration sentiment
In calling for stronger external borders around the Schengen Area, the French president is making a political argument.
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Nuclear power is the French election’s hot topic
Emmanuel Macron is struggling to reconcile climate action with a desire to support industry and secure France's energy supply.
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As tensions with Russia build, Emmanuel Macron highlights splits within Nato
The French president’s call for direct dialogue with Russia has highlighted disagreements on how to engage Moscow.
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Can anything save the French left?
The “Popular Primary” aims to pick a single left-wing candidate for president – whether they want it or not.
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Novak Djokovic and why the world is turning on anti-vaxxers
The tennis star has won his battle in Australia, but patience with the unvaccinated is running out.
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