Menu Close

Articles on François Mitterrand

Displaying 1 - 20 of 25 articles

French citizens celebrate Emmanuel Macron’s victory in the country’s 2017 presidential elections. Lorie Shaull/Flickr

Debate: Why France needs the Fifth Republic

Opposition forces in France are using the president’s unpopularity to push for a new constitution. It’s a dangerous game.
Speaking in Strasbourg on 9 May, Emmanuel Macron called on the “democratic European nations adhering to our core values” to “find a new area of political cooperation, security and cooperation”. Ludovic Marin/AFP

Debate: What ‘European political community’ do we need now?

Inspired by François Mitterrand’s idea of a European confederation, French president Emmanuel Macron has outlined the idea of a political body that would be separate from the EU.
French President Emmanuel Macron talks to U.S. President Joe Biden at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization headquarters in Brussels on June 14, 2021. BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

French outrage over US submarine deal will not sink a longstanding alliance

Despite a ‘major breach of trust,’ the recent spat between France and the US corresponds to a long cycle of conflict and rapprochement between the two countries.
Jacques Chirac (here in 2005) was a defining figure in French politics after May 1968. World Economic Forum/Flickr

Jacques Chirac, 1932-2019: a political bulldozer

A look back at the distinguished career of the former president, an ardent defender of France’s place in the world.
French president Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte after a meeting with the Romanian president at the Elysee presidential palace (November 27, 2018). Bertrand Gauy/AFP

The 60th anniversary of France’s Fifth Republic: Out of breath?

With some “Gilet jaune” protestors calling for the removal of Emmanuel Macron, the French constitution is being criticized anew for concentrating too much power in the hands of the president.
In a heated presidential debate, Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron argued over each other like a pair of bickering teenagers as their parents watched on, confused. Reuters

Le Pen vs Macron: after an acrimonious debate, the French will now choose their next president

The French must choose between two visions – one from Macron that looks externally to EU partners in trade and security, or one from Le Pen that closes France’s borders and yearns for a ‘Frexit’.
Benôit Hamon casts his vote in Trappes, France on April 23. Julien de Rosa/EPA

What happened to the French Socialist Party?

With just 6% of the vote, the French socialist party of outgoing president François Hollande came a distant fifth in the French election.

Top contributors

More