by Anne Swardson | Nov 3, 2024 | Election, France, Virginia
Imagine: The head of a governmental jurisdiction orders his underlings to scan the electoral database and remove anyone who might not be a citizen, without clear standards of proof. More than 1,000 people are turfed off the rolls. The national government files suit to... 
by Anne Swardson | Jun 28, 2024 | Election, France, Paris, Virginia
I took a train to vote in the French elections. But it’s not as simple as that. For starters, I was in Virginia. Second, France has never seen an election like this one. The chaos began when President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the French parliament on June 9 after his... 
by Anne Swardson | May 24, 2022 | Election, France
The appointment of France’s new prime minister – or perhaps I should say prime ministress – has touched off a linguistic debate that many think should have been settled long ago. President Emmanuel Macron, who was elected to a second five-year term last month, last... 
by Anne Swardson | Apr 22, 2022 | Election, France
France’s presidential election has me reflecting on the French language. Over the past few months of campaigning, I’ve heard words I didn’t know but could learn, words I didn’t know that were hard to translate and words that even French people didn’t understand....