The French government’s survival is now in Socialist hands
Moderates attempt to move away from the radicals
THREE YEARS ago the French Socialist Party was crushed into irrelevance. The party that supplied two modern presidents—François Mitterrand (1981-95) and François Hollande (2012-17)—and nine prime ministers became as invisible in parliament as in public debate. Its presidential candidate in 2022, Anne Hidalgo, secured less than 2% of the vote. Its contingent in the National Assembly was swallowed up into a left-wing alliance dominated by the hard left’s firebrand leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon. He engineered the downfall of the previous minority government, under Michel Barnier, in December.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “The left at the centre”
Europe February 1st 2025
- Inside Europe, border checks are creeping back
- A day of drama in the Bundestag
- The EU is worried about sensitive exports to competitors and foes
- Amid talk of a ceasefire, Ukraine’s front line is crumbling
- The French government’s survival is now in Socialist hands
- Meet Europe’s Gaullists, Atlanticists, denialists and Putinists
From the February 1st 2025 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from Europe
Meet Europe’s Gaullists, Atlanticists, denialists and Putinists
As Donald Trump returns, so do Europe’s old schisms over how to defend itself
Inside Europe, border checks are creeping back
Voters and politicians are worried about unauthorised migrants
The EU is worried about sensitive exports to competitors and foes
A lot of bureaucracy will ensue
A day of drama in the Bundestag
Friedrich Merz, Germany’s probable next chancellor, takes a huge bet and triggers uproar
Amid talk of a ceasefire, Ukraine’s front line is crumbling
An ominous defeat in the eastern town of Velyka Novosilka
Germans are growing cold on the debt brake
Expect changes after the election