François Hollande is the first French president-elect to enter office unmarried and living with his partner. If he chooses to remain unmarried, this would demonstrate a fundamental change in the institution of the French presidency.
French President-elect François Hollande is not the marrying type.
But as he prepares to take office he will come under pressure to formalise his relationship with his partner Valerie Trierweiler.
The Socialist, elected on May 6, cohabited for 30 years with former partner Ségolène Royal, with whom he has four children.
The couple split after her own failed attempt …

The leader of Greece’s left-wing Syriza bloc is continuing attempts to form a government after elections on Sunday produced an inconclusive result.
Alexis Tsipras has said he will try to form a coalition based on tearing up the terms of the EU/IMF bailout deal, which he describes as “barbaric”.
On Wednesday, he will meet the two mainstream pro-bailout parties, Pasok and New Democracy (ND).
If the two sides fail to agree, Greece could face fresh elections in weeks.
Power vacuum?
Mr Tsipras wants a government that turns its back on cost-cutting and Greece’s bailout commitments.
He …

The arguments for growth policies as opposed to austerity are taking center stage in Europe after the results of the French and Greek elections.
His rhetoric aside, France’s President-elect Francios Hollande is not rejecting austerity. In fact, he pledged to balance France’s budget by the end of his five-year term, just one year later than his opponent Nicolas Sarkozy.
That’s one reason the bond market reaction to Hollande’s victory was a yawn. Jacob Kirkegaard, a fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, says the market correctly perceived that the president-elect is …

The euro fell against the dollar and the pound on Monday following weekend election results.
Two parties that support bailouts appear to have lost their majority in Greece, while in France, Francois Hollande has taken the presidency promising to rework debt deals.
The euro fell as low as $1.295, its lowest since January, and dropped to three-year lows against the pound.
European stock markets fell, with Germany’s Dax opening 2.2% lower.
The Cac 40 in Paris opened down 1.7%. London markets are closed for a public holiday.
European markets had also fallen sharply on Friday …

Socialist François Hollande defeated conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy on Sunday to become France’s next president, heralding a change in how Europe tackles its debt crisis and how France flexes its military and diplomatic muscle around the world.
Sarkozy conceded defeat minutes after the polls closed, saying he had called Hollande to wish him “good luck” as the country’s new leader.
Exuberant crowds filled the Place de la Bastille, the iconic plaza of the French Revolution, to celebrate Hollande’s victory. He will be France’s first leftist chief of state since François Mitterrand was …