French conservative party picks woman for 2014 Paris mayoral raceJune 4, 2013 - 10:58 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The spokeswoman for Nicolas Sarkozy's re-election campaign last year won a primary election on Monday, June 3 to become the conservative UMP party's candidate for the 2014 Paris mayoral race, Reuters reported. Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, 40, an up-and-coming opposition figure who was also Sarkozy's environment minister, beat three little-known candidates to win the UMP candidacy with 58 percent of the electronic vote. Her win will pit her against another woman, Socialist Anne Hidalgo, in the race for one of the most high-profile elected positions in France and one that is a traditional springboard for the presidency. Paris has never before had a female mayor. Holding onto the mayorship for the ruling Socialist Party will be a challenge for President Francois Hollande, whose approval ratings have slumped to as low as 24 percent as voters blame him for record unemployment and stalled economic growth. The race will also be a test for the UMP which tore itself in two last year trying to decide who should succeed Sarkozy. It has been further split this year over how to far to support protests against Hollande's law legalising gay marriage. Kosciusko-Morizet, often called by her initials NKM, is known for her hip and casual style of dressing but had to fight off an upper-class image during Sarkozy's campaign when she was unable to give the price of a metro ticket during a radio show. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. |