François Fillon

France's divided Socialists picked left-winger Benoit Hamon as their presidential nominee on Jan. 29, in the latest twist of a roller-coaster election race that has seen conservative frontrunner Francois Fillon engulfed in scandal.

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. 

Primary elections of political parties continue in France three months before the presidential elections.

On Monday, the biggest surprise came from the Socialists camp. The winner in the first round of the elections turned out to be Benoît Hamon, former Education Minister at the beginning of the presidency of François Hollande.

Marine Le Pen has overtaken French presidential favourite François Fillon to become the frontrunner in the latest first round election poll.

The Front National leader is now polling at 26.5 per cent, a lead of 1.5 per cent over former Conservative Prime Minister Fillon.

A government-led rescue of French nuclear group Areva and the wider atomic energy industry may cost the state as much as 10 billion euros, but political support is almost certain whoever wins the presidential election in May. 

Europe is entering a new tempestuous phase of political developments and electoral tests that will determine its future course.

Hardline reformist Francois Fillon scored a resounding win in France's conservative primaries on Nov. 27, making him favorite to win a presidential election five months from now against the popular far-right and a deeply divided left. 

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.