French prosecutors ask appeal court to keep ban on Marine Le Pen running for office

3 février 2026 à 20:22

Far-right leader was barred for five years after being found guilty of extensive fake jobs scam at European parliament

French state prosecutors have asked appeal court judges to maintain a five-year election ban on the far-right leader Marine Le Pen for embezzlement of European parliament funds in a fake jobs scandal.

If the judges decide to grant the request, Le Pen would probably not be able to run in France’s 2027 presidential election.

France passes budget after months of wrangling and no-confidence motions

The Guardian

Par :Angelique Chrisafis in Paris

2 février 2026 à 20:43

PM Sébastien Lecornu pushes budget through using constitutional powers that avoided vote in parliament

France has finally passed a budget for this year after the minority government survived a series of no-confidence votes in a long-running political saga that has unsettled debt markets and alarmed the country’s European partners.

The prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, told parliament on Monday, after months of wrangling, that French people “refuse this disorder and want our institutions to function”.

The battle for Paris: can Rachida Dati fend off scandal to become next mayor?

The Guardian

Par :Angelique Chrisafis in Paris

1 février 2026 à 14:00

Seen by rivals as a dangerous rightwinger, others hope the controversial culture minister can snatch Paris from the left

She was the first woman of north African and Muslim heritage to hold a major French government post and she redefined political celebrity in France. Now Rachida Dati wants to become mayor of Paris and take the city from the left, which has been in power for 25 years.

“I want to bring back authority,” Dati, France’s culture minister, told Le Figaro last month, promising a law and order drive to arm municipal police with guns. Her opponents call her a dangerous rightwinger who would turn the French capital into a “Trumpist laboratory”.

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