The new election in France

250,000 demonstrate against the far right in France

Around a quarter of a million French people took to the streets around France on Saturday to demonstrate against the advance of the far right, according to French police according to AFP.

The protests were organized by trade unions and left-wing organisations.

- I never thought I would see the far right take power and now it can happen, says 60-year-old Florence David in Paris.

The demonstrations have generally been peaceful, with occasional elements of vandalism and clashes with police. 

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Cracks are already showing in the French left-wing alliance

Barely two days after it was formed, cracks have already begun to appear in the French left-wing alliance Nouveau Front Populaire (New People's Front), reports the Financial Times.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, party leader of Unoccupied France, last night carried out a purge of several more centrist members. It has sparked anger in the party and has been condemned as "scandalous" by Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure.

The New People's Party includes the Socialist Party, the left-wing party Unoccupied France, the green Ecologists and the French Communist Party. The parties have major ideological differences that they put aside to form a united front against far-right leader Marine Le Pen and her National Assembly.

The prospect of a far-right government after the new elections on June 30, with a left-wing bloc as the main opposition, has shaken the French stock market.