Marine Le Pen

‘No coalition’ – French conservatives deal another blow to weakened Macron

Emmanuel Macron suffered a fresh blow after losing his ruling majority in parliamentary elections as French conservatives ruled out a coalition deal with the weakened president.

Hard-left bloc neck and neck with Macron in French election

French president Emmanuel Macron faces a tough fight to win an absolute majority in parliament that would allow him to govern with a free hand after a strong showing by a new left-wing alliance in France’s first-round election.

Parties on French left form coalition to take on Emmanuel Macron in parliamentary elections

A new left-wing political coalition has been forged in a blow to Emmanuel Macron’s chances of winning a parliamentary majority at next month’s election.

Le Pen sets her sights on revenge in parliamentary elections after strong showing against Macron

Marine Le Pen has set her sights on France’s parliamentary elections as she seeks to cement the National Rally party’s role as the main opposition to Emmanuel Macron.

James Bond-style umbrella saves Emmanuel Macron from a hail of tomatoes from protester

Emmanuel Macron’s security detail was forced to deploy a special protective umbrella after he was pelted with tomatoes on his first trip since being re-elected as French president.

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Lionel Laurent Opinion Macron must deliver at home and on the global stage

In 2017, France bucked the populist trend by voting for Emmanuel Macron against Europhobic Marine Le Pen. In 2022, it has done so again – just as Slovenia looks set to eject its nationalist leader.

How Macron ‘will not be a lame duck’ during his second term

EMMANUEL Macron will be no lame duck in his second term, his camp said yesterday, as leaders of the hard-Right and Left plotted to block the re-elected French president from securing a majority in the parliamentary elections.

How Emmanuel Macron ‘will not be a lame duck’ for his second term

Emmanuel Macron will be no lame duck in his second term, his camp said yesterday, as leaders of the hard-right and left plotted to block the re-elected French president from securing a majority in the parliamentary elections.

John Downing Opinion French right and left plot to make government difficult for re-elected Macron

The French far right and radical left can agree on one thing: they intend to deprive re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron of a parliamentary majority necessary to drive his agenda for the next five years.

Letters to the Editor Opinion People of Russia should not look the other way this time

Many commentators deliberating on Russian foreign policy, advance the argument that it’s not the Russian people – it’s their regime. But indeed, that is the point – it’s their regime.

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Irish in France react to Macron win: ‘It’s better the devil you know than the devil you don’t’

News that Emmanuel Macron has been re-elected as the president of France was greeted with mixed emotions across Europe.

Surge in support for hard right in the French presidential election is a wake-up call for us all

Emmanuel Macron’s win in the French presidential election is welcome news for the entire European Union and by extension for Ireland. But the huge vote for far-right contender, Marine Le Pen, must serve as a wake-up call for politicians everywhere to improve their listening skills and re-connect with the less well-off citizens.

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen fail to excite right-wing voters in France

All sorts of people mingle on Nice’s sparkling Mediterranean waterfront; tourists, sunburnt in April, and soldiers on patrol, armed to the teeth six years after the Bastille Day attack.

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Declan Lynch Opinion In Fergie time, too, nothing was impossible either

For some time now, as Manchester United go down to another disgraceful defeat, the television camera picks out the unhappy visage of Alex Ferguson, the great potentate surveying the wreckage of his once-unassailable empire.

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Eilis O'Hanlon Opinion Start listening to the people or get ready for populism

Boris Johnson has burned through more lives than an accident-prone cat, but this time it looks as if his luck may have run out.

Le grand tête-à-tête: Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen on final stretch in French presidential race

Emmanuel Macron yesterday warned of a French future of “hatred” and economic ruin if rival Marine Le Pen clinches tomorrow’s presidential run-off.

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John Downing Opinion Macron will probably win, but his political battles are only just starting, so he’d better listen

In his gloomier moments, Charles de Gaulle – creator of the powerful office of president – admitted his compatriots were “ungovernable”.

John Leicester and Sylvie Corbett Opinion Emmanuel Macron warns of civil war over Marine Le Pen’s proposed ban on Muslim headscarf

French President Emmanuel Macron last night warned that election rival Marine Le Pen’s proposed measure to ban Muslim headscarves in French public spaces would create “civil war” if implemented.

Macron widens gap in polls but PM warns ‘its not done and dusted’

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron’s lead in the election polls widened yesterday but his prime minister said a Macron win in Sunday’s presidential run-off vote was not guaranteed, as far-right challenger Marine Le Pen accused him of fear-mongering.

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Ian O’Doherty Opinion We need the return of boring politics to stop book burners getting their grip on power

Is Europe inching towards fascism? Are we on the cusp of seeing the continent retreating into the kind of sweaty stranglehold of racist bigots not seen since Germany and her allies in the 1940s?

Letters to the Editor Opinion Always better to seek peace than join the warmongering

Frank Coughlan’s column (‘Taking sides in the war on our steadfast neutrality’, Irish Independent, April 19) browbeats with the same zeal and short-sightedness as Charles Penrose Fitzgerald’s White Feather brigade which recruited young men to World War I.

Marine Le Pen abandons proposal to ban headscarves as Emmanuel Macron leads polls

France’s far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has shelved plans to ban headscarves in her latest attempt to woo undecided voters ahead of the election run-off on Sunday as polls widen even more.

Prosecutors examine report accusing Le Pen of misappropriating EU funds

French prosecutors are examining a report by the EU’s anti-fraud agency accusing far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and members of her party of misappropriating thousands of euros’ worth of EU funds when she was a European parliamentarian.

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Declan Lynch Opinion One last big push for the ‘libertarians’ and it’s all over

Having recently become its biggest shareholder, last week Elon Musk made a $41.39bn (€34.3bn) offer to buy Twitter. Yes, this is what the world has been desperately looking for: another “libertarian” billionaire gaining control of a major communications network. Rupert Murdoch can only do so much.

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen confronted by Muslims over headscarf issue

Muslim headscarves took centre stage in France’s presidential campaign yesterday amid far-right candidate Marine Le Pen’s push to ban them .

Le Pen is willing to hold death penalty referendum if she is elected

Marine Le Pen would hold referendums on key issues such as reinstating the death penalty if elected French president, she said yesterday, as she swore to “let the people speak”.

Le Pen shows her authoritarian streak in banning TV reporters, says Macron

French president Emmanuel Macron launched a scathing attack on far-right rival Marine Le Pen, saying her true “authoritarian” intentions were showing after she banned a team of reporters and did not rule out a return of the death penalty.

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Sean O'Grady Opinion Boris Johnson has finally reached the end of the road

Timing is everything in politics, so they say. So I wonder if, almost entirely by chance, the fixed penalty notice with the name “Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson” on it hasn’t arrived at the least bad time, from his point of view.

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Mary Kenny Opinion ‘Liberty, equality, uncertainty?’ – How anxiety has replaced French self-confidence

I have spent time in France every year of my adult life, since the age of 18. It took Covid to break the pattern and I hadn’t been back since 2019 – until last week, in the throes of the presidential election campaign.

Top money manager warns about complacency over Macron win in French election

Europe’s biggest asset manager sent a warning to investors who are already convinced that the pro-business Emmanuel Macron will win the French presidential election in a runoff against the nationalist leader Marine Le Pen this month.