Alain Juppe

A showdown between French railway workers and President Emmanuel Macron's government grew more threatening on Tuesday after an internal labor union message suggested rail workers could paralyze services even outside of official strike days.

French voters have put President Emmanuel Macron's party on course for a crushing parliamentary majority, though a record low turnout in the first round of voting raised concerns on June 12 over the strength of his future mandate.

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.

Alain Juppe has ruled himself out of replacing Francois Fillon in the French presidential election.

The former prime minister said he will not be a replacement for Mr Fillon if he withdraws his presidential bid.

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." 

François Fillon, the socially conservative former prime minister who plans to shrink the French state, has won the primary race to become the French right’s presidential candidate next spring.

French voters defied expectations on Nov. 20 by throwing ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy out of the race to be the conservatives' nominee for the presidential election and propelling his ex-prime minister Francois Fillon to top spot. 

Late on Sunday night, the former head of state Nicolas Sarkozy annouced his retirment from politics.

His decision was preceded by his loss in the first round of the primary presidential elections which had to determine the two candidates of the Republican Party who will countinue the race to win a place at the Élysée Palace.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy and his populist, hard-line stand on Muslims and immigration went down in defeat Sunday in France’s conservative primary for president. Two ex-prime ministers will instead meet in a runoff next week for the nomination.