https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from Europe in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed As attention in France shifts to the 2027 presidential elections, John Lichfield looks at how the candidates will be be narrowed down and whether France is indeed 'sleepwalking into a Far-Right presidency'. https://www.thelocal.com/20260401/opinion-primaries-cannot-save-france-from-a-trumpian-future Wed, 01 Apr 2026 10:18:39 +0200 opinion-primaries-cannot-save-france-from-a-trumpian-future The Local France's editor Emma Pearson explains why foreigners in France face an anxious year ahead as the presidential election looms large and the threat from the xenophobic far right grows ever stronger. https://www.thelocal.com/20260325/opinion-for-foreigners-in-france-each-election-brings-a-creeping-sense-of-dread Wed, 25 Mar 2026 13:06:38 +0100 opinion-for-foreigners-in-france-each-election-brings-a-creeping-sense-of-dread This was a Mr Potato Head election - writes John Lichfield - pick different features of the municipal results on Sunday and you can give France the face of your choosing. https://www.thelocal.com/20260324/opinion-local-elections-show-french-far-right-is-beatable-but-not-by-this-fractured-and-squabbling-opposition Tue, 24 Mar 2026 10:52:20 +0100 opinion-local-elections-show-french-far-right-is-beatable-but-not-by-this-fractured-and-squabbling-opposition France's 35,000 communes have been to the polls to elect their new representatives. Here's a look at what the local election results show and what, if anything, they can tell us about France's fractured political landscape. https://www.thelocal.com/20260323/5-key-takeaways-from-frances-local-elections Mon, 23 Mar 2026 07:57:20 +0100 5-key-takeaways-from-frances-local-elections The left-wing candidate Emmanuel Grégoire - the former deputy of current mayor Anne Hidalgo - has fought off a challenge from the right-wing former culture minister Rachida Dati to become the new mayor of Paris. https://www.thelocal.com/20260322/left-holds-paris-after-closely-fought-mayoral-battle Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:05:51 +0100 left-holds-paris-after-closely-fought-mayoral-battle The left-wing mayor of Marseille won a knife-edge race against the far right, while in Paris the left-wing candidate held the city and in Nice the centre-right/far-right candidate won - here are the final results of France's 2026 local elections. https://www.thelocal.com/20260322/latest-results-from-the-second-round-of-frances-local-elections Sun, 22 Mar 2026 09:52:21 +0100 latest-results-from-the-second-round-of-frances-local-elections The crucial second round of voting in France's local elections takes place on Sunday and Paris is among one of several cities facing an extremely tight race - here's what the latest polls say. https://www.thelocal.com/20260320/paris-mayor-election-what-the-latest-polls-say Fri, 20 Mar 2026 12:26:16 +0100 paris-mayor-election-what-the-latest-polls-say Confirmed results in the French local elections show knife-edge results in cities including Marseille, Paris and Lyon - where voting will now move to a second round. https://www.thelocal.com/20260315/french-elections-latest-far-right-wins-and-second-round-voting Sun, 15 Mar 2026 20:38:12 +0100 french-elections-latest-far-right-wins-and-second-round-voting As France prepares for key local elections, John Lichfield looks at what the results can tell us about the strength of the 'republican front', the pact that voters can make to keep out the far right. https://www.thelocal.com/20260311/opinion-local-elections-will-show-if-france-still-has-the-will-to-resist-the-far-right Wed, 11 Mar 2026 09:52:31 +0100 opinion-local-elections-will-show-if-france-still-has-the-will-to-resist-the-far-right The Talking France podcast is back after a two-week break looking at everything surrounding the upcoming French local elections, the rising petrol prices in the country, and why so many Americans are moving to Montpellier. https://www.thelocal.com/20260310/podcast-why-french-local-elections-really-matter-and-macron-walks-middle-east-tightrope Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:53:43 +0100 podcast-why-french-local-elections-really-matter-and-macron-walks-middle-east-tightrope Two weeks after the death of Far Right activist Quentin Deranque in Lyon, John Lichfield looks at the political fallout of the death of this previously unknown figure, and how it will affect France's upcoming elections. https://www.thelocal.com/20260225/opinion-the-death-of-quentin-deranque-will-tilt-frances-elections Wed, 25 Feb 2026 10:04:13 +0100 opinion-the-death-of-quentin-deranque-will-tilt-frances-elections French politics faces a year of frantic immobility before a 2027 presidential election which could change everything, writes John Lichfield. https://www.thelocal.com/20251231/opinion-2026-will-be-a-crucial-year-for-france-but-its-politics-remain-paralysed Wed, 31 Dec 2025 09:50:29 +0100 opinion-2026-will-be-a-crucial-year-for-france-but-its-politics-remain-paralysed Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's Social Democrats reeled Wednesday from a stinging blow after local elections saw them lose their more than 100-year hold on the capital and almost halve the municipalities under their control. https://www.thelocal.com/20251119/denmarks-social-democrats-lose-hold-on-copenhagen-in-local-election-defeat Wed, 19 Nov 2025 13:29:00 +0100 denmarks-social-democrats-lose-hold-on-copenhagen-in-local-election-defeat Non-EU nationals living in Europe don't have many voting rights but some countries do allow them to cast a ballot in local elections. Here's what you need to know. https://www.thelocal.com/20220218/explained-where-in-europe-can-non-eu-foreigners-vote-in-local-elections Fri, 18 Feb 2022 12:40:39 +0100 explained-where-in-europe-can-non-eu-foreigners-vote-in-local-elections Germany has some of the tighter regulations regarding foreigners' voting rights compared other European countries, but it also has relatively lax requirements for citizenship. https://www.thelocal.com/20250424/how-germanys-voting-rules-for-foreigners-compare-to-other-countries Thu, 24 Apr 2025 19:20:37 +0200 how-germanys-voting-rules-for-foreigners-compare-to-other-countries The Union and SPD have pledged to stick to Germany's emissions targets, but activists say their plans could worsen the climate crisis rather than solving it. What do the parties plan to do on climate - and will it be enough? https://www.thelocal.com/20250411/denial-of-reality-is-germanys-future-government-ignoring-the-threat-of-climate-change Fri, 11 Apr 2025 15:06:42 +0200 denial-of-reality-is-germanys-future-government-ignoring-the-threat-of-climate-change Austria’s far-right-led coalition talks collapsed on Wednesday after FPÖ leader Herbert Kickl withdrew from negotiations. https://www.thelocal.com/20250212/breaking-austrias-far-right-led-coalition-talks-collapse Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:01:24 +0100 breaking-austrias-far-right-led-coalition-talks-collapse Thousands protested in Vienna on Tuesday against negotiations for Austria's first far-right-led government, with efforts to form a ruling coalition dragging on towards a record period of time. https://www.thelocal.com/20250204/austrias-government-talks-break-record-as-protests-against-far-right-grow Tue, 04 Feb 2025 17:03:06 +0100 austrias-government-talks-break-record-as-protests-against-far-right-grow After the far-right won Austria's national elections, foreigns in the country were left wondering what this means. From stricter citizenship laws to reduced social benefits how could life change for immigrants? https://www.thelocal.com/20240925/how-could-a-far-right-government-affect-the-lives-of-foreigners-in-austria Wed, 25 Sep 2024 15:49:01 +0200 how-could-a-far-right-government-affect-the-lives-of-foreigners-in-austria For the first time in Austrian history, the far-right FPÖ is tasked with forming a government, sparking debates over their plans for domestic and foreign policy. https://www.thelocal.com/20250108/how-austrias-far-right-fpo-is-reshaping-the-countrys-political-future Wed, 08 Jan 2025 10:58:39 +0100 how-austrias-far-right-fpo-is-reshaping-the-countrys-political-future