April 22 set as French presidential election dateMay 11, 2011 - 19:22 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The French government announced its 2012 presidential election dates on Wednesday, May 11 with the first round election set to take place on 22 April and the second run-off on 6 May. A two-round parliamentary election for the lower house National Assembly will follow on 10 and 17 June, government spokesman Francois Baroin told reporters in Paris. Centre-right President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to stand for re-election for a second five-year term and is likely to face strong challenges from the Socialist Party on the left and the National Front on the far right. Polls show that Sarkozy could be beaten by any of the likely main candidates for the Socialist Party’s nomination and could even be knocked out in the first round if the National Front’s Marine Le Pen swipes second place. While the Socialists have yet to pick their candidate, opinion polls suggest International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn would be their strongest choice, RFI reported. Top stories 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". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | About 32,000 rally in Yerevan to deman Pashinyan’s resignation About 31,700 people attended an opposition rally on Thursday, May 9 in Yerevan demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to meet in Almaty Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov will meet in Almaty. Viva-MTS: Tech solutions to modernize infrastructure of border village The border village has been the focus of Viva-MTS and the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Values since 2015. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. |