France’s conservatives elect new leader

Paris: France´s once-mighty right-wing Republicans party announced a new leader on Sunday, with members picking arch-conservative Eric Ciotti in the hope he can revive their dim electoral prospects.

The party traces its roots back to post-World War II hero Charles de Gaulle and has provided presidents from Jacques Chirac to Nicolas Sarkozy. But its candidate slumped to just 4.8 percent in April´s presidential election, with its grassroots support switching to either centrist President Emmanuel Macron or far-right candidates.