|
• ___
French voters choose parliament and are likely to hand dominance to Hollande's leftists
• PARIS (AP) -- French voters are choosing a new parliament Sunday that will determine how far Socialist President Francois Hollande can go with his push for economic stimulus in France and around a debt-burdened, stagnant Europe.
• The left is in the spotlight and expected to take the driver's seat of the 577-seat National Assembly after Sunday's second round of legislative elections.
• Hollande's Socialists dominated the first round last week and pollsters predict they will win the most seats in the lower house. That would wrench it from the hands of former President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservatives, who have led it for a decade.
• The French election campaign focused on local issues but it will determine this country's political direction, which has Europe-wide importance. France is the second-biggest economy in the eurozone and, along with powerhouse Germany, contributes heavily to bailouts to weaker nations and often drives EU-wide policy.
• Sunday's decisive second round election comes after a hasty new bailout for Spanish banks, and the same day as crucial voting in Greece. The Greek elections may determine whether the country stays in the euro, with repercussions for all the other 16 countries that use the joint currency.
• ___
US, Russian leaders jockey for leverage on Iran, Syria in first meeting since Putin's return
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin will use their meeting Monday, the first since Putin returned to Russia's top (Continued on page 22)
|
|
