Latest news with #politique
BreakingNews.ie
09-07-2025
- Politics
- BreakingNews.ie
Police raid office of National Rally party as part of anti-corruption probe
French police raided the headquarters of far-right party National Rally on Wednesday, seizing documents and accounting records, the party's leader said, as part of a campaign finance inquiry. Prosecutors are investigating allegations of illegal financing of Marine Le Pen's 2022 presidential bid, and European Parliament and French parliamentary campaigns. Advertisement Jordan Bardella, 29, who took over presidency of the popular party in 2022, said that police seized 'all files relating to the party's recent regional, presidential, legislative, and European campaigns — in other words, all of its electoral activity'. Mr Bardella slammed the raid in a message on X. 'This spectacular and unprecedented operation is clearly part of a new harassment operation. It is a serious attack on pluralism and democratic change,' he said. Marine Le Pen, left, with Jordan Bardella during a political meeting in 2024 (Thomas Padilla/AP) Associated Press journalists saw police activity outside the party's headquarters in Paris. The raid came after Le Pen – the party's former leader and runner-up to incumbent President Emmanuel Macron in 2022 – was convicted of embezzlement in April. She and 24 other party officials were accused of having used money intended for European Union parliamentary aides to instead pay staff who worked for the party between 2004 and 2016, violating the 27-nation bloc's regulations. Advertisement But Wednesday's raid stems from a different, more recent case. The Paris prosecutor's office said in a statement to the AP that searches were carried out at the National Rally's headquarters, at the headquarters of unidentified companies and at the homes of people leading those companies. The searches were prompted by a judicial inquiry opened a year ago into a raft of allegations, including fraud, money laundering and forgery, the prosecutor's office said. The inquiry aims to determine whether Le Pen's 2022 presidential campaign, and the party's campaigns for European Parliament in 2024 and French parliamentary elections in 2022 were financed by 'illegal loans from individuals for the benefit of the party or National Rally candidates', the statement said. Advertisement The inquiry is also investigating allegations that the National Rally overbilled for services or billed for fictitious services in order to artificially augment the amount of state aid provided to the party for its electoral campaigns. The prosecutor's office says no one has been charged in the case.
Zawya
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) pre-election mission' kicks off its activities in preparation for the october 2025 presidential election in Côte d'Ivoire
The ECOWAS pre-election mission in Côte d'Ivoire, led by Prof. Théodore Holo began its activities on June 30th, 2025 with a series of meetings with the Institutions in charge of the presidential election, the actors and certain stakeholders in the electoral process. The objective of this ECOWAS pre-election fact-finding mission is to engage with actors and stakeholders in the electoral process on the political atmosphere and the conduct of pre-election activities, to identify any difficulties and to make concrete recommendations for the peaceful and transparent conduct of the presidential election. Since its arrival in Abidjan, the Mission has met with certain institutions in charge of the presidential election as well as certain actors and stakeholders in the electoral process. On June 30th, 2025 the mission held consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Ivorians Abroad, the High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA), representatives of media associations and civil society, the Independent Electoral Commission, the ambassadors of ECOWAS member countries accredited to Côte d'Ivoire, and Ms Hélène N'Garnim-Ganga, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Côte d'Ivoire. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Ivorians Abroad, Prof. Théodore Holo and his delegation were received by Ambassador Yapi Koffi Évariste, Secretary General of H.E. Léon Kacou Adom, Ivorian Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Integration and Ivorians Abroad. In his introductory remarks, Prof. Holo reiterated ECOWAS' commitment to maintaining regional momentum in support of democratic processes, in a context where peace and stability remain crucial issues. At the High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA), the ECOWAS delegation met with its President, Mr. René BOURGOIN, to inquire about the overall framework for preparing for the elections at the media level, the institutional mechanisms put in place, and the role this body plays in the electoral process. In this regard, the HACA gave a presentation on the operational mechanisms already deployed, the mechanisms for monitoring online media, and the awareness-raising activities carried out with audiovisual actors. During his meeting with media representatives, the Head of the ECOWAS Pre-Election Mission recalled the crucial role that the media play in the conduct of the electoral process and in the dissemination of accurate and responsible information, all of which promotes social cohesion and peace. Prof. Holo emphasised the need for equitable access to the media for candidates and stressed the responsibility of regulators and the media in preventing hate speech and disinformation, particularly on digital platforms. On July 1st, 2025 the ECOWAS delegation first met with representatives of Ivorian civil society organisations, including the Initiative for Peace, the CNCJI, the AFJCI, WANEP-CI, MIDH, RESPSFECO, POECI, FOSCAO, the Islamic Council, CIED and RAIDH. The mission then visited the Independent Electoral Commission (CEI), where it held discussions with its President, Mr Ibrahim Kuibiert Coulibaly, and members of the CEI Bureau. Prof. Holo was accompanied by Ambassador Abdel-Fatau MUSAH (PhD), Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security of the ECOWAS Commission, and H.E. Ms. Adjo-vi Yekpe, Ambassador of Benin to ECOWAS, representing the Committee of Permanent Representatives of ECOWAS Member States, H.E. Fanta Cissé, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Côte d'Ivoire, a representative of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) and a team of electoral experts from the sub-region and the Directorate of Political Affairs. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Reuters
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Macron: US has made offer for Israel-Iran ceasefire
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday (June 16) that U.S. President Donald Trump had made an offer for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran.
Bloomberg
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
French Socialist Faure Reelected as Party Head by Narrow Margin
French Socialist Olivier Faure was reelected as head of the party in a narrow ballot win, signaling the group may be less willing to join no-confidence motions likely to be filed against Prime Minister Francois Bayrou during crucial budget negotiations over the coming months. While Faure, 56, was seen as the more left-leaning candidate in the party leadership contest, the strong showing by Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, who had criticized the party leader's decision to build an alliance with the hard-left France Unbowed party, suggests Faure may be pushed to tack closer to the more moderate wing of the Socialists in future policy negotiations with the government. Faure won the ballot with 50.9% of the vote, compared with 49.1% for his rival.
Telegraph
31-05-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Macron a failure as president in eyes of most French voters
The majority of French voters think Emmanuel Macron has been a failure as president, new poll figures show. Respondents of a new survey delivered a crushing assessment of the French president's two-term performance, with 82 per cent of voters saying Mr Macron's centrist Renaissance movement has been a 'failure'. The sentiment is shared among 63 per cent of people who also voted for Mr Macron in the 2017 or 2022 elections. More than eight out of 10 people also said they believe that Mr Macron's centrist political ideology, referred to as 'Macronism', will die out with his final term, which wraps up in 2027. The ideology borrows policies from both the Left and Right sides of the political spectrum. The feeling is similarly strong among the president's Renaissance supporters, 59 per cent of whom agreed that the president's centrist movement could disappear by 2027. In France, presidents can serve a maximum of two terms. 'Conclusion is clear' 'In light of these results, the conclusion is clear,' said Céline Bracq, CEO of polling firm Odoxa. 'For the French, Macronism has not established itself as a lasting project, nor as a structuring political movement.' The findings of the Odaxa poll, commissioned by Le Figaro, were released after Sophie Primas, the government spokesman, caused a political firestorm this month when she declared: 'Macronism will probably come to an end in the coming months, with the end of president Macron's second five-year term.' Ms Primas, a member of the Republican party, made the statement in response to a question about Bruno Retailleau, who is currently carrying out a juggling act as both the recently named president of the Republican party and minister of the interior in the president's government. 'The question is how we rebuild what comes next,' Ms Primas said in an interview with Europe1/CNews on May 20, pointing out the lack of an absolute majority in the National Assembly and a government formed by coalitions. Her statements drew fire from Mr Macron's Renaissance party and calls for her resignation. According to the poll results, the president's harshest critics include women, low-income households, and voters aged 50 to 64. The online survey of 1,005 people aged 18 and over was conducted between May 28 and 29. In her analysis, Ms Bracq described the Macronism movement as a 'transitional phase' that was centred on a 'personality and style' rather than a shared ideological base. The poll shows that only one in four voters believe it to be a genuine school of political thought. Collapse of Macron's electoral base Over the years, the president's electoral base has also collapsed: 58 per cent of those who voted for him at least once said they would not vote for him again if given the chance. Instead of building cohesion as Mr Macron intended with the founding of his centrist party, which was touted as an alternative to the legacy parties of the Republicans and Socialists, Macronism has created a bigger divide between Left and Right – and given the Right a leading edge. According to the poll, support for the Right has increased 6 points to 32 per cent, while those who position themselves on the Left has dropped down 9 points to 30 per cent. 'The trend of recent years illustrates the failure of a promise of lasting reorganisation and confirms the growing isolation of a centre that no longer mobilises,' the report reads. 'The French seem to be returning to a more traditional reading of the political landscape.' Gabriel Attal, secretary general of the Renaissance party, is seen as the best successor to Mr Macron, but failed to generate consensus, with just 45 per cent of poll support. Former prime ministers Élisabeth Borne (at 35 per cent) and Édouard Philippe (at 31 per cent) round out the ranking of personalities who best embody Macronism.
