By James McauleyA struggling French left named its contender for the presidency, in the midst of a highly contentious election campaign likely to shape the future of a deeply troubled Europe. The newly anointed winner promised to unite all the warring factions of the French left in advance of the elections in April and May. "It's very much the end the left as a dominant, governing party," said Gérard Grunberg, a leading expert on the history of the French left at Sciences Po in Paris. MARINE LE PEN, 48Far-right leader Le Pen, who has strong anti-migrant views, wants to strengthen France's borders and reinstate its national currency, the franc. JEAN-LUC MELENCHON, 65Outspoken Jean-Luc Melenchon, 65, is a former Socialist who left the party in 2008 to create his own far-left movement, the Left Party.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 29, 2017 22:29 UTC