UMP party

North African states willing to cooperate or "countries like Serbia and Bulgaria" could help address the migrant crisis by setting up detention centers on their territories, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said.

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy announced that his UMP party will change its name and will be called “Les Républicains” (The Republicans). Sarkozy aims to change the image of his party and prepare for national elections in 2017.

French PM warns about rise of National Front

PARIS -- The far-right National Front is on track to win more votes than any other party in the first round of French local elections, Reuters quoted a poll on Monday.

At the same time, France's Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls spoke of "fear" that the party could also in win the presidential election in 2017.

Four French lawmakers who say they are on a private visit to Syria, despite a breakdown in diplomatic ties between Paris and Damascus, met with President Bashar al-Assad Wednesday, one of them told AFP.
      

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been elected head of the opposition UMP party - a victory that is expected to bolster his hopes for running for president again.

The election of Sarkozy at the top position of the conservative UMP is positioning him as front-runner for the nomination of the party for the presidential elections in 2017.

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.