When Emmanuel Macron decided to run for French president, the consensus among politicians and pundits was that he stood no chance. A 39-year-old former banker who served under the deeply unpopular François Hollande, a man with no party behind him and claiming to be neither on the right or on the left could never sit in the Elysée Palace, it was said. But today, with less than two months to go before the first round, the maverick is firmly in the race and could even clinch France's top job.

Marine Le Pen has finally broken a glass ceiling - not in France, but in Lebanon. For the first time, the French far-right leader was hosted by a foreign sitting president and head of government. She hopes it will boost her international credentials and presidential bid. In the meantime, with less than two months to go before round one of the elections, the left is still struggling to figure out how many candidates it will field - and the clock is ticking.

With just over two months to go before the first round of France's presidential election, conservative candidate François Fillon is mired in a scandal over the hiring of his wife and children as parliamentary aides. The former frontrunner is now edged in opinion polls by far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist newcomer Emmanuel Macron. As Fillon battles to keep his run alive, he is also warning that if he is forced out, many of his sympathisers could throw their support behind Le Pen.

With his poll ratings in freefall amid claims he might have created a fake job for his wife, French conservative candidate François Fillon held a defiant press conference this week to try to save his presidential bid. But will he be able to hold on until the elections? And has the scandal damaged his chances of victory?

The stage is finally set. Less than three months before the French presidential election, all the candidates are now known after the Socialists chose Benoit Hamon as their flag-bearer. It is certainly a wide-open race. The favourite, conservative candidate François Fillon, is mired in controversy over allegations his wife held a fictitious job, while his two main rivals, far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist newcomer Emmanuel Macron, are gearing up to fully launch their campaigns.

A few months ago, France's conservatives held a primary to designate their presidential candidate and an outsider, François Fillon, won handily. This week, the left is voting to choose its presidential hopeful and the favourite after the first round, Benoit Hamon, is a man who was not on the radar just a few weeks ago. This means that aside from far-right leader Marine Le Pen, all the favourites to win this spring's elections are out of contention. A most unusual election season is upon us.

On January 22, the French left is holding the first round of a primary to designate its candidate for the presidential election. But as the contenders hold rallies across the country, the winner is slated to be only a bit player in this April's election. Other rivals are well ahead in the polls: on the right and the far-right, but also on the left, where the future Socialist candidate is lagging behind far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and rising star Emmanuel Macron.

"I am a Gaullist and I am a Christian". This is how the conservative candidate for France's presidential election, François Fillon, defines himself. By wearing his religion on his sleeve, the favourite for next May's election is entering uncharted territory for the deeply secular French political class. Also on the agenda this week: the first of three debates between the candidates for the Socialist primary which will designate their presidential hopeful.

The sprint has already begun. In just three weeks' time, France’s Socialists will square off in round one of the primary to designate their candidate for the presidential election this spring. Seven hopefuls are on the starting line with no clear favourite emerging. But the winner will face a daunting task, with far-right and conservative candidates far better positioned to win the presidency.

In a little over four months, the mother of all elections in France - the presidential election - will take place. One thing is for sure: a new president will be voted in. François Hollande has announced he will not run for re-election and his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy is also out of contention. But who will sit in the Elysée Palace next May remains anyone's guess. For our last show of the year, we take stock of the political situation in France and look ahead to the presidential race.

After French President François Hollande's shock announcement that he will not run for re-election, the battle on the left has begun in earnest. A Socialist primary election is scheduled for the end of January but its winner will have to contend with two emerging rivals, Jean-Luc Mélenchon on the far-left and Emmanuel Macron in the centre. This division bodes ill for the left in the presidential election, especially when compared to the unity on the right and the far-right.