Socialist government

French voters just won't tolerate corruption in politics anymore - that appears to be the message from the swift downfall of the country's powerful security minister.

It's a notable shift from the past, when influence peddling seemed endemic and politicians untouchable, even when they were accused of shocking scandals.

Benoit Hamon, a former Socialist government rebel, won the first round of a primary on Jan. 22, and will meet ex-prime minister Manuel Valls in a runoff to decide who will be the candidate of the beleaguered left in a presidential election in spring. 

Workers at the Eiffel Tower concerned over an upcoming paint job at the famous landmark went on strike Tuesday, the third stoppage at the monument in six months.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve was appointed as the new prime minister on Dec. 6 after Manuel Valls resigned to seek the Socialist nomination in the presidential election, the presidency said.

The French president, François Hollande, has named Bernard Cazeneuve to head the French government as prime minister until a presidential election next May.

France began clearing the sprawling "Jungle" migrant camp in Calais on Oct. 24, with hundreds carrying suitcases queuing outside a hangar to be resettled in reception centers across the country. 

The first buses departed less than an hour after immigration workers started the operation and officials predicted some 2,500 would leave on the first day, Reuters reported.

Police have used tear gas to disperse demonstrators in Paris who are protesting against the new labor reforms.

According to Le Figaro newspaper, a group of 30 young people broke the windows of banks and shops, while throwing rocks to police officers. Many people were arrested, according to Le Parisien.

Angry unions and youths joined forces on March 9 in a day of protests against French President Francois Hollande's effort to tamper with the country's 35-hour workweek.

Several union and student organizations called protests in more than 200 cities across France to try to kill the bill which has even divided Hollande's Socialists.

Anti-austerity Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias met with Spain’s King Felipe VI and said that he will support a new Socialist government alongside another anti-austerity group, the United Left.

France's ruling Socialists took a drubbing in run-off local polls on March 29 that saw major gains for former president Nicolas Sarkozy and the far-right ahead of 2017 presidential elections.