In his last state ceremony as France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy led commemorations today in Paris marking the end of World War II in Europe, standing side-by-side with the man who ousted him from power.

Nicolas Sarkozy was a victim of the financial crisis – and his own craving for power

Socialist Francois Hollande defeated conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy today 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. 

A victory for the Left in today's French election would help those who want more regulation on the City of London

It is fashionable to lament the death of politics, and the lacklustre campaigns waged in many of our cities for yesterday's local elections did little to contradict that. Anyone looking for signs of political life in recent weeks, however, had only to look across the Channel to rediscover politics, red in tooth and claw.

Midweek View: Hollande's first visit as president should be to Berlin to persuade Merkel that austerity alone is not enough

French president Nicolas Sarkozy, seeking support from the far right as he fights an uphill battle for a second term, said today that his country has too many immigrants and is failing to integrate them.

France's socialist presidential candidate says that, if elected, he won't seek to overturn a law banning face-covering Muslim veils enacted by President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservatives.

Right-wing populism is, to be sure, a troubling presence in British politics. There's no question that the voices of the likes of the BNP and the EDL are as persistent and as seductive as they have ever been. But if they ever seem too much for you, you only need to look across the channel for an awful warning about how much worse it could be.

President's party divided on his strategy to court NF voters, fearing he will lose centre-right support

He would always be the President who sold his soul to remain in power

The more Nicolas Sarkozy talks the talk of the far right, the more he will alienate centrist voters

President looks isolated as Hollande is endorsed by losing candidates and influential public figures

Socialist Francois Hollande has won the first round of the French presidential poll, setting up a run-off with Nicolas Sarkozy who came second, according to an exit-poll.