Daddy Sarkozy or Mummy Hollande?

PARIS — Returning from the political wilderness, former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has taken a big step toward a possible re-election bid by winning the leadership of the country’s main conservative party. Sarkozy had been widely expected to win the Union for a Popular Movement leadership in the vote by party members Saturday. The 59-year-old Gaullist collected 64.5% of the vote to defeat former government ministers Bruno Le Maire and Herve Mariton, a margin that some analysts said was below expectations.

Given the extreme economic mess socialist president Francois Hollande has made in France, it should not be too shocking to discover a surge in the popularity of the National Front, a far-right, eurosceptic political party led by Marine Le Pen. A recent poll by Le Nouvel Observateur shows the National Front is in the lead for the first time ever. Poll Results

France has a “problem with Islam” and there is “too much” unwanted immigration, Francois Hollande has acknowledged in an explosive new book in which the Socialist president controversially claims that “the veiled woman of today” will tomorrow become France’s national icon, Marianne.

Paris (AFP) - France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy was on Saturday tipped to win the leadership of his right-wing UMP in party elections, a position seen as a potential springboard back into high office.

ReutersLISBON (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday the new U.S. government was encouraging "populism and even extremism", as he and fellow southern European leaders urged unity to face an increasingly uncertain world.

Political observers appeared widely confused by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's (R) unusual video announcement that he's joining the 2016 presidential race.