Popular Movement

French lawmakers approved a bill on Thursday to completely remove the word "race" from the country's law books, but the initiative has been blasted as naïve and useless by right-wing opponents.

With less than one year before crucial local and parliamentary elections, members of the opposition centre-right Popular Movement, MP, overwhelmingly voted for Basescu as the party's new leader on Saturday.

Basescu, who was president for 10 years from December 2004 until December 2014, said he wanted to continue the work he started when he was in office.

''You are the most surviving Bulgarian politician,'' stated former French President Nicolas Sarkozy at a news conference following his meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart Boiko Borisov. ''I applaude you for your effors and for the fact that you managed to create a working government. You have no losses, you only have victories.''

Romania’s center-left governing coalition has won the European parliamentary elections, with around 37.5 per cent of the vote, according to first preliminary results announced on Monday by the Central Electoral Bureau.

The governing alliance is comprised of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and two minor parties. Together they should get around 16 seats in the European Parliament.

Center-right opposition UMP party has claimed victory in Sunday's second tour of French local elections.

Ten to fifteen towns could fall into the far-right National Front (FN)'s hands, according to various reports.

FN is poised to install mayors or councilors in some 200 places across France.