Presidents of France

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.

PARIS — A French prosecutor has requested a criminal trial for former President Nicolas Sarkozy over suspected illegal overspending on his failed 2012 re-election campaign.

The Paris prosecutor's office said Monday it has asked investigating judges to send Sarkozy and 13 others to court in the case. It's now up to the judges to decide whether Sarkozy must stand trial.

Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front (FN) did not win any region in the second round of the French elections on Dec. 13, while Nicolas Sarkozy's conservatives and their allies won seven constituencies and the Socialists five. 

Polls opened Dec. 6 in France for a key regional vote that came three weeks after jihadist attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead.

France's conservative party leader, Nicolas Sarkozy, on Dec. 2 ruled out making any alliance with Francois Hollande's ruling Socialists to stop the increasingly popular far right from winning regional councils in elections this month.

France pays homage to the 130 victims of the multiple terrorist attacks that took place in Paris on November 13 with a solemn ceremony at the Invalides monument in Paris. Victims who could stand did while others who were injured were rolled in on wheelchairs as the names of the victims were read. Hollande took the podium for a fiery speech of remembrance.

French President François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will make a historic joint appearance in the European Parliament in Strasbourg today.

Air France had been expected to present the full details of the job cuts during its central committee at Charles de Gaulle airport yesterday before the meeting was disrupted and descended into chaos with employees rushing into the room.

The managers of Air France were almost lynched and managed to escape with their shirts ripped off.

The US wiretapped two of France's economy ministers and spied on the country's largest companies, French media reported citing WikiLeaks documents, just days after it emerged the US had spied on three of the country's leaders.