Republicans party

The party of France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen performed weaker than expected in the first round of regional elections on June 20, in a vote marked by record levels of abstention.

Early projections showed the center-right Republicans party on course to top June 20's vote, while Le Pen's National Rally undershot predictions based on voter surveys conducted last week.

France’s parliament on Dec. 19 passed into law a ban on producing oil and gas by 2040, a largely symbolic gesture as the country is 99 percent dependent on hydrocarbon imports.In the vote by show of hands, only the right-wing Republicans party opposed, while left-wing lawmakers abstained.

Less than three months after he was elected, the French president’s popularity has fallen after announcing budget cuts launching a divisive labor reform and engaging in a damaging dispute with the military.

Breitbart News reports that a series of opinion polls were conducted last week showing the popularity of Macron plummeting.

Newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron appointed his first government on Wednesday, naming veteran Socialist Jean-Yves Le Drian to foreign affairs and European lawmaker Sylvie Goulard as defence minister, reported AFP.

Newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron has named little-known parliamentarian Edouard Philippe from the rightwing Republicans party as his first prime minister, his office announced Monday.

Newly-inaugurated French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed a conservative prime minister in a move to broaden his political appeal and weaken his opponents before legislative elections in June.

Embattled French presidential hopeful Francois Fillon vowed that "no one" could force him to quit as he dug in despite calls to withdraw over an expenses scandal.

The conservative was in a defiant mood after holding a rally in Paris attended by tens of thousands of flag-waving supporters.

Police raided the Paris home of French rightwing presidential candidate Francois Fillon on March 2 over an alleged fake job scandal as a senior party colleague warned him he risked dragging his party "into an abyss." 

French President Francois Hollande dramatically announced Dec. 1 he would not seek re-election next April at the end of his five-year term as he bowed to historic low approval ratings.

The withdrawal means the 62-year-old Socialist will be the first president of France's fifth republic, founded in 1958, to quit after just one term.

The number of refugees placed in Calais area has reached unprecedented levels, with about 6,000 living in terrible conditions in the French port and nearly two thousand more in rapidly expanding “jungles” in nearby towns, Telegraph reports.

The site is located 7 km from the city itself, on a former rubbish tip with no access to water or power.