“A warning,” headlines Libération in the wake of the second round of French cantonal elections. Although the extreme right Front National led by Marine Le Pen only topped the poll in two southern cantons – Carpentras and Brignoles – it nonetheless increased its share of the vote to more than 40% in many regions, and 11% nationwide. Libération reports that with a score of 18.6%, Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP was "the major loser, while the opposition Socialist Party obtained approximately 36% of the vote, which will leave the majority unchanged in most of the country’s departments. The first round of the election was marked by an extremely low turnout, a trend that re-emerged on Sunday when 54% of voters stayed away: "the second round of the cantonal elections confirmed that the electorate has little interest in the final election before 2012," writes the left-wing daily, which argues that the "increase in voter apathy is a testament to citizens mistrust of political leaders.” In short, “with a year left to run before presidential elections, French democracy is in a sorry state."
The leader of Greece’s leftist alliance SYRIZA is the new bright hope of Greek politics. Steering a course between pragmatism and the rhetoric of class warfare, he has unsettled Berlin, and not just those who back Angela Merkel's austerity policies. 
Europe’s economic woes have forced us to try to understand the secret Olympian world of global finance. But now that we pay more attention to bond yields and stability mechanisms, isn’t it clear that the experts up on their lofty peaks don’t know what’s going on either? 
This year’s Eurovision Song Contest is hosted by Azerbaijan, a country that is far from being a model democracy. An Estonian journalist takes a critical look at the deferential treatment enjoyed by the regime in Baku.