Marine Le Pen
FILE - In this June 1, 2021, file photo, Paris 2024 president, and three-time Olympic champion, Tony Estanguet poses for a photo outside Paris. The 2024 Paris Olympics emerges fully on Sunday, Aug. 8 from its unexpected extra year in the shadows with a formal handover from Tokyo. (AP Photo/Nicolas Garriga, File)
Paris Olympics moves up with two presidents on center stage

By Graham Dunbar Aug. 05, 2021 06:29 AM EDT

Priest Eloi Gillet leaves the voting booth as he votes for the regional elections in Marseille, southern France, Sunday, June 20, 2021. The elections for leadership councils of France's 13 regions, from Brittany to Burgundy to the French Riviera, are primarily about local issues like transportation, schools and infrastructure. But leading politicians are using them as a platform to test ideas and win followers ahead of the April presidential election. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Far right falters as conservatives lead French regional vote

By Alex Turnbull And Angela Charlton Jun. 20, 2021 02:23 AM EDT

In this grab taken from video France's President Emmanuel Macron, centre, is slapped by a man, in green T-shirt, during a visit to Tain-l’Hermitage, in France, Tuesday, June 8, 2021. Macron denounced “violence” and “stupidity” after he was slapped in the face Tuesday by a man during a visit to a small town in southeastern France. The incident prompted a wide show of support for the head of state from politicians across the ideological spectrum. A video shows a man slapping Macron in the face and the president's bodyguards pushing the aggressor away as the head of state was quickly rushed from the scene in the town of Tain-l’Hermitage. (BFM TV via AP)
Slap to Macron puts focus on ultra-right groups

Elaine Ganley Jun. 09, 2021 01:11 PM EDT

French President Emmanuel Macron listens to chef Anne-Sophie Pic, center, as he attends a lesson, Tuesday June 8, 2021 in the kitchen of the Hospitality school in Tain-l'Hermitage, southeastern France. (Philippe Desmazes, Pool via AP)
French leader Macron slapped in face on visit to small town

By Sylvie Corbet Jun. 08, 2021 10:12 AM EDT

FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2016 file photo, former French Economy Minister gestures as he delivers his speech during a campaign meeting in Paris, France. With a year to go to the presidential vote, French President Emmanuel Macron is getting ready for a potential re-election bid by prioritizing reviving the economy and saving jobs. The country is slowly stepping out of its partial lockdown. Macron’s ability to meet the challenge will be key _ as France is among countries worst hit by the pandemic in the world, with over 105,000 virus-related deathss. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu, File)
Eyeing reelection bid, Macron looks to repair French economy

By Sylvie Corbet May. 09, 2021 02:46 AM EDT

Presidential candidate Andre Ventura and French far-right populist Marine le Pen, center left, lay a wreath at the monument to WWI fallen soldiers in Lisbon, Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. Ventura is the leader of a populist party called CHEGA! (ENOUGH!), founded in 2019. Portugal holds a presidential election on Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021 and the moderate incumbent candidate is widely seen as the sure winner. But an intriguing question for many Portuguese is how well a brash new populist challenger fares in the ballot. Mainstream populism is a novelty in Portugal. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)
In Portugal presidential race, how high can a populist fly?

By Barry Hatton Jan. 22, 2021 03:04 AM EST

FILE - In this Jan.11 2020 file photo, a police officer uses gas during a demonstration in Lille, northern France. A summer of incidents, from insults to attacks, some deadly, has built into a crescendo of violence. But has France really grown more “savage” as Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin says? Or is the problem a growing sense of insecurity fueled by the word “savage” itself, as Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti contends? The verbal jousting is causing divisions, and worrying critics who say the interior minister is exploiting the language of the far right to help President Emmanuel Macron’s party win upcoming elections. (AP Photo/Michel Spingler, File)
Is France really growing more 'savage'? Word stirs trouble

By Elaine Ganley Sep. 04, 2020 02:19 AM EDT

This sketch provided Saturday April 4, 2020 by the French Government Information Service (SIG) shows the transfers of patients infected with the Covid-19 virus in France. On high-speed trains fitted out like hospitals and military planes, France has moved hundreds of intensive care patients around the country in an exceptional effort to relieve congested hospitals and stay ahead of the fast-moving virus. But critics say President Emmanuel Macron waited far too long to act and that France, with one of the world's best health care systems, should never have faced this crisis to begin with. (SIG via AP)
France turns to speedy trains to catch up in virus response

By Sylvie Corbet And Angela Charlton Apr. 05, 2020 03:06 AM EDT