France’s far-right National Front battles for historic poll win

PARIS: The far-right’s rising star Marion Marechal-Le Pen might well walk up the steps of the world-famous Cannes Film Festival in southeast France next spring as leader of the region, if she wins elections there on Sunday. It is yet to be seen how well this protest-movement-turned-political-party can govern large territories, but nevertheless, the historic win at the polls prods observers to keep a close eye on Marine Le Pen and FN in the lead-up to the 2017 presidential elections.

PARIS (AP) — The head of France’s far-right National Front made a final push for votes on Thursday, three days ahead of crucial elections, promising pragmatism over ideology in any regions won by her anti-immigration party and assuring there would be no witch hunts. Her niece Marion Marechal-Le Pen did the same in Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur (PACA) in the south-east.

The first round of the regional elections in France, held on December 6, confirmed the National Front’s position as France’s most popular party.

The condemnation of Donald Trump crossed global borders and party ideologies this week, the tycoon’s assertion that all Muslims should be barred from entering the United States receiving widespread opprobrium from right and left around the world. While softening the party’s image, FN is still staunchly nationalistic, and Le Pen remains outspoken in her calls for the restoration of France’s “territorial, monetary, legislative and economic” sovereignty-and her denunciation of Islam. A second round of voting will occur on Sunday and experts predict the NF will prevail in at least two of the regions.

The electoral triumph of Marine Le Pen’s National Front is about the economy more than it is about fear or xenophobia. The lead candidates in all 13 French regions contesting the presidency of leadership councils shared the stage with Le Pen.

With a soft voice and poised demeanor, Marechal-Le Pen lambasts the nation’s top politicians, once taking the floor in parliament to castigate the prime minister’s “brainless contempt” of her party. “There is one option which is that of the far right which, basically, preaches division”.

“They just did not perform as well as expected and it shows the Republicans party really under pressure from the National Front”, he said.

“It makes no sense economically that public money goes to help foreign workers and migrants in a region where unemployment is higher than national average”, Marechal-Le Pen told Reuters in an interview last month.

“The north has the biggest agricultural industry in France”, she said to a few dozen locals and nearly as many journalists from Paris. She claimed on BFM television that Calais had deteriorated to the point where the mayor was issuing passes to residents to get home.

The poll of voter intentions suggested Marine Le Pen would get 47 percent and her conservative adversary Xavier Bertrand, a former labor minister, 53 percent. Therefore, the next challenge for the party is to gain enough popularity to stand a good chance in a possible runoff vote.