French parliament

Prosecutors have requested a two-year suspended prison sentence and a 50,000 euro fine against François Bayrou at the Paris appeal trial over the MoDem parliamentary assistants affair. The case concerns allegedly fictitious jobs for European Parliament aides, with Bayrou accused of using funds to pay party staff. Prosecutors' sentencing demands were laid out on Monday as the appeal proceedings continue.

French commentary is focused on what is being described as a crisis of presidentialism in France, with Le Monde among the outlets framing the country's political turbulence in those terms. The debate centres on whether the Fifth Republic's strongly presidential model can still deliver stable governance amid a divided parliament and contested executive authority.