Reaktion auf Le-Pen-Wahlsieg: Frankreichs Regierung stoppt Einwanderer-Wahlrecht

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Der Europawahl-Sieg des rechtsextremen Front National setzt Frankreichs Regierung unter Druck: Das Wahlrecht für Nicht-EU-Ausländer in Kommunen werde doch nicht eingeführt, erklärte der sozialistische Innenminister.

Paris - Nach dem Sieg des rechtsextremen Front National (FN) von Marine Le Pen bei der Europawahl rückt Frankreichs Regierung vom geplanten Wahlrecht für Nicht-EU-Bürger auf Kommunalebene ab. Das Vorhaben habe nun keine Aussicht auf Erfolg mehr, sagte Innenminister Bernard Cazeneuve dem Fernsehsender LPC.

Präsident François Hollande hatte eine entsprechende Gesetzesänderung in seinem Präsidentschaftswahlkampf vor zwei Jahren in Aussicht gestellt. Davon profitiert hätten vor allem die in Frankreich lebenden Marokkaner und Algerier. » | ade/Reuters/AP | Donnerstag, 29. Mai 2014

Pour 44 % des Français, le FN est capable de réformer la France

Marine Le Pen

LE FIGARO: Près de la moitié des personnes interrogées juge que Marine le Pen est la personnalité la plus à même de s'acquitter de cette tâche.

Plus de quatre Français sur dix pensent que le Front national est un parti capable de réformer la France en profondeur, selon un sondage CSA pour Atlantico publié samedi. À la question de savoir quel parti politique est le plus à même de "réformer en profondeur le pays en surmontant les blocages au sein de la société française", 44 % des sondés ont cité la formation dirigée par Marine Le Pen. » | Source Reuters | samedi 19 octobre 2013

Marine Le Pen: EU Will Collapse Like the Soviet Union

Marine Le Pen

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Marine Le Pen aims to set up radical, anti-Europe faction in the European parliament with help of Geert Wilders, the Dutch MP

The leader of France’s far-Right party has vowed that the European Union would “collapse like the Soviet Union” as she conspired to form what would be the most radical faction yet seen in the European parliament.

Marine Le Pen, buoyed by a weekend by-election triumph in southern France, criticised the EU as a “global anomaly” and pledged to return the bloc to a “cooperation of sovereign states”.

She said Europe’s population had “no control” over their economy or currency, nor over the movement of people in their territory.

“I believe that the EU is like the Soviet Union now: it is not improvable,” she said. “The EU will collapse like the Soviet Union collapsed.” » | Martin Banks, Henry Samuel and Alex Spillius | Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Les réseaux de l'extrême : les enragés de l'identité (Caroline Fourest)

Le Front national va porter plainte contre Madonna
REUTERS FRANCE: PARIS - Le Front national va porter plainte contre Madonna après la diffusion samedi lors d'un concert de la chanteuse au Stade de France, d'un clip vidéo dans lequel Marine Le Pen apparaît brièvement affublée d'une croix gammée sur le front.

"Une plainte pour injure avec constitution de partie civile sera déposée la semaine prochaine devant le tribunal de grande instance de Bobigny, dont la juridiction couvre le Stade de France", a dit dimanche à Reuters Florian Philippot, vice-président du FN, confirmant une information donnée par le JDD.fr.

La vidéo, déjà diffusée lors de concerts précédents de Madonna, montre le visage de la star mêlé à celui d'autres personnalités comme Benoît XVI ou Hosni Moubarak et donc Marine Le Pen. L'image de la présidente du FN apparaît quelques secondes, suivie du visage d'un personnage qui ressemble à Adolf Hitler. » | Patrick Vignal | Reuters | dimanche 15 juillet 2012


leJDD.fr: Le Pen-Madonna : "Une plainte sera déposée pour injures" : INTERVIEW - Après la diffusion, samedi soir au Stade de France, lors du concert de Madonna, d'un clip vidéo représentant Marine Le Pen avec une croix gammée sur le front, le FN a vivement réagi dimanche matin. Contacté par leJDD.fr, Florian Philippot, vice-président du Front national, indique que "de manière évidente", une plainte sera déposée la semaine prochaine "pour que tous les responsables soient trouvés". "Ce qui me paraît encore plus grave, c'est la relativisation du nazisme" durant ce spectacle, a-t-il ajouté. » | Arnaud Focraud - leJDD.fr | dimanche 15 juillet 2012

France Election: Nicolas Sarkozy Woos Far Right in National Front Heartlands
Ahead of Sunday's presidential run-off, French leader Nicolas Sarkozy says Francois Hollande and his Socialist party will bring only financial ruin to the country as he campaigns in the National Front heartlands.

Read the short article here | Thursday, May 03, 2012
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Wahlkampftag in Frankreich
Wenige Tage vor der Präsidentschaftswahl in Frankreich verwandelt sich die Hauptstadt Paris in eine grosse Wahlkampfbühne. Während der amtierende Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy am Nachmittag am Place Trocadéro eine Rede halten wird, wollen sich die Sozialisten bei den traditionellen Demonstrationen der Gewerkschaften zum Tag der Arbeit einreihen. Auch die lachende Dritte aus dem ersten Durchgang der Wahl, Marine Le Pen, wird ihren Auftritt haben.

Related »

Rachida Dati, Immigrant's Daughter, Battles to Help Nicolas Sarkozy Win Back Far-Right Supporters

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: As Nicolas Sarkozy courts the far-Right vote in rural France, how can his favourite immigrant's daughter, Rachida Dati, help? She tells Kim Willsher why he must win.

Rachida Dati seems an unlikely figure to be wooing supporters of France's far right Front National party.

Needs must, however, and the daughter of a North African bricklayer who clawed her way to the top of the establishment ladder, before falling out of favour with President Nicolas Sarkozy, is now a key figure in his desperate battle to salvage his political career.

In his hour of need, Mr Sarkozy is rallying the troops to win over the 6.4 million French electors who voted for Marine Le Pen in the first round of the presidential election a week ago.

In response to being returned to the fold as one of the president's cheerleaders, Miss Dati has launched a spirited defence of what critics have called a "moral fault" by the current president, accusing him of veering dangerously into FN territory to save his skin.

"You cannot say that these people, 18 per cent of the electorate, are racists and xenophobic. It's not true," Miss Dati told The Sunday Telegraph in an exclusive interview.

"I have met and talked to FN voters and they are exasperated and afraid that the socialists will come to power. They are worried about Europe being a colander in terms of immigration, they are worried about companies moving elsewhere, they are worried about jobs and the cost of living, and security.

"It's for us to say to the FN voters, 'We have heard your preoccupations', to say to them that while the FN may have raised some good questions, it has proposed no solutions except rejecting others, creating scapegoats and the politics of hatred." » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Sunday, April 29, 2012

French Rivals Scramble to Seduce Le Pen Voters
REUTERS.COM: France's presidential rivals scrambled on Tuesday to seduce nearly a fifth of the electorate that voted for far right anti-immigration crusader Marine Le Pen, voicing sympathy for voters' distress in the economic crisis.

Conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy, fighting for his political life after being beaten into second place in Sunday's first round, hammered away at Le Pen's themes of fear of immigration, insecurity and industrial decline at public rallies and in media interviews.

"I want to talk to the little people, to the foot soldiers, to people in the countryside, to pensioners," Sarkozy told a public rally, saying the National Front leader had drawn a "crisis vote" in "the part of France that is suffering".

"You are feeling afraid," he said. "I have heard you."

Socialist challenger Francois Hollande, who topped Sunday's vote and is favorite to win a May 6 runoff, said in an interview with left-wing daily Liberation: "It's up to me to convince the voters of the National Front." » | Alexandria Sage and Yann Le Guernigou | PARIS | Writing by Paul Taylor; Editing by Myra MacDonald | Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Related »

Marine Le Pen: Madame Non
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Marine Le Pen, Vorsitzende des rechtsextremen Front National, wettert gegen Euro, EU und Migration. Viele Franzosen mögen sie. Ein Mittagessen mit der Rivalin von Präsident Sarkozy.

Es gibt kein Mikrofon in dem feinen, stuckgeschmückten Saal des Restaurants gleich bei der Comédie Française in Paris. „Ich spreche sowieso laut“, sagt Marine Le Pen. Die 42 Jahre alte Vorsitzende der rechtsextremen Partei Front National (FN), die enge dunkelblaue Jeans zur weißen Designerjacke trägt, ist sichtlich guter Laune. In einem Jahr sind Präsidentenwahlen und alle jüngeren Umfragen sehen die FN-Chefin sicher in der Stichwahlrunde. Im ersten Wahlgang schlägt sie Präsident Sarkozy, aber auch den sozialistischen Umfragefavoriten Dominique Strauss-Kahn, sagen die Meinungsforschungserhebungen. Anders als ihr Vater Jean-Marie Le Pen muss sie sich nicht abmühen, in den Medien Gehör zu finden. Sie kann sich vor Anfragen kaum retten und wird zum Mittagessen eingeladen wie etablierte französische Politiker. „Die Themen fliegen uns geradezu zu“, sagt sie.

Derzeit ist es die Krise der Europäischen Union, die Marine Le Pen umtreibt. Der Fall Griechenland zeige eindeutig, dass die europäische Staatsschuldenkrise längst nicht überwunden sei. „Ich bin keine Antieuropäerin“, sagt Frau Le Pen. „Aber ich gehe davon aus, dass das ganze europäische System irgendwann zusammenbricht.“ Sie wolle Frankreich vorbereiten auf den Tag, an dem die Eurozone auseinanderbreche. Der Euro sei ein „historischer Fehler“ gewesen, und bislang spürten vor allem die Länder an der europäischen Peripherie dessen ökonomische Auswirkungen.

„Schwaches Wachstum, Jobverlagerung in Billiglohnländer, negative Handelsbilanzen und Arbeitslosigkeit“ seien die Bilanz des Euro. „Glauben Sie wirklich, dass Griechenland aus eigener Kraft den Bankrott vermeiden kann? Glauben Sie wirklich, dass Griechenland eine Zukunft mit dem Euro hat?“, fragt sie. Mit einer starken Währung könne Griechenland im internationalen Konkurrenzkampf nicht wettbewerbsfähig sein. » | Von Michaela Wiegel, Paris | Dienstag, 10. Mai 2011

Marine Le Pen 'Would Knock Nicolas Sarkozy Out of French Presidential Elections'
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The leader of France's far-right National Front party would qualify for the second round of France's presidential elections at the expense of President Nicolas Sarkozy, a poll showed on Wednesday.

The poll results suggest the opposition Socialists would be well-placed to win the May 2012 run-off as the presence of Nation Front leader Marine Le Pen in a second round would likely trigger a massive vote for her opponent.

The survey by pollsters Harris Interactive found that IMF Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a former Socialist finance minister, would comfortably win the first round if he decides to contest the elections.

Mr Strauss-Kahn scored 30 per cent approval, versus 21 per cent for National Front leader Ms Le Pen, while Mr Sarkozy came in third with 19 per cent, the poll showed. » | Thursday, April 21, 2011

Islam : «Sarkozy est dans une course poursuite avec le FN»

Marine Le Pen rate son grand oral d'économie
LE POINT: La présidente du FN a tenté d'expliquer son programme économique pour la France. Sans convaincre.

"De quoi ? Qui ça ? Ah oui ! Borloo a quitté l'UMP... Très bien, vous savez, moi, je suis pour la concurrence !" plaisante Marine Le Pen, vendredi matin. Pour la concurrence en politique, peut-être, mais en économie, rien n'est moins sûr... Tout sourire, lunettes de soleil sur la tête, veste couleur crème et bottines noires, la présidente du Front national fume une dernière cigarette avant de se livrer à un exercice dont elle n'a pas l'habitude. Son équipe a en effet convié des journalistes économiques - et non pas les "politiques", qu'elle connaît bien - à un "petit-déjeuner de travail " pour expliciter les grandes orientations de son programme dans ce secteur. "Nous ne sommes pas légitimes que sur l'immigration et l'insécurité", veut-elle convaincre. Elle souhaite démontrer que son programme n'est "ni simpliste, ni fantaisiste, ni ringard". » | Par Pauline de Saint Remy | Vendredi 08 Avril 2011

Kantonalwahlen in Frankreich: Sarkozys Partei verliert - Front National legt zu
FRANFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Im Stichwahlgang der Kantonalwahlen in Frankreich hat die rechtsextreme Partei Front National starke Stimmenzuwächse verzeichnet. Die Partei von Präsident Sarkozy UMP verlor dagegen massiv an Stimmen.

In der französischen Präsidentenpartei UMP ist am Montag ein Richtungsstreit über den Umgang mit dem rechtsextremen Front National (FN) entbrannt. Im Stichwahlgang der Kantonalwahlen am Sonntag hatte die von Marine Le Pen geführte Partei große Stimmengewinne verzeichnet. In den 403 Kantonen, in denen FN-Kandidaten im zweiten Wahlgang antreten konnten, steigerte die Partei ihr Ergebnis von 620.000 Stimmen im ersten Wahlgang auf 915.000 Stimmen im zweiten Wahlgang. » | F.A.Z./mic. | Montag, 28. März 2011

Nicolas Sarkozy and François Fillon Split Over How to Handle National Front
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: An embarrassing split between President Nicolas Sarkozy and his prime minister, François Fillon, emerged on Tuesday over how to deal with the threat from France's far-Right National Front.

Marine Le Pen's National Front (FN) made historic gains in the first round of local elections on Sunday, only trailing Mr Sarkozy's UMP party by two percentage points on 15 per cent.

The Socialists, who came top on 25 per cent, are calling for a "Republic front" against the FN in next Sunday's second round, where the far-Right is present in almost 400 "cantons" in the country's 100 departments. The Left is urging its supporters to vote UMP in cantons where it is an also-ran to keep the FN out.

Several UMP moderates called on its electorate to vote tactically. But Mr Sarkozy refused to explicitly urge his supporters to vote for the Left in the 200 or so cantons where the race is between Socialists and the FN. He told party leaders that a call to vote Socialist "would be tantamount to sending a signal of collusion between the UMP and Socialist Party".

However, on Monday night, prime minister Fillon, who has reportedly been ill at ease with attempts by Mr Sarkozy to veer Right to attract FN support, caused confusion by telling UMP members: "You must vote against the National Front". » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Tuesday, March 22, 2011

French National Front Makes "Historic" Gains in Local Elections
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Marine Le Pen's far-Right National Front party has made "historic" gains in the first round of local elections in France, only narrowly trailing Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party.

In what observers called a "severe warning" to the French President, the UMP obtained just over 17 per cent of the vote.

That is less than two per cent more than the National Front (FN), which is enjoying a revival under the leadership of Miss Le Pen, 42, daughter of party founder, Jean-Marie.

In the last such elections in 2008, the FN only mustered five per cent.
Miss Le Pen described the results as "historic" and called on supporters to "reinforce the Marine blue wave" in next Sunday's second round.

The Socialists came way out in front with 25 per cent in round one, which was marred by record abstention levels. A Left-wing party and ecologists were each credited nine and eight per cent of the vote respectively. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Monday, March 21, 2011

Related articles here and here

Front National »

Marine Le Pen Emerges from Father's Shadow
THE GUARDIAN: Le Pen fille says she'll lead the Front National into the battle for republican values in France

Marine Le Pen surveys the mountain of letters on her desk, complaining she's run out of autographed photos to send to fans. Although Le Pen fires handguns at shooting ranges for a hobby, Sarah Palin isn't an idol. Instead, she gestures out of the office window to a statue of Joan of Arc, the mascot of the Front National, which for decades under Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie, was the most successful far-right, xenophobic party in western Europe. Under the new leadership of "Le Pen, Fille", the party headquarters on a grey suburban street in Nanterre has been decorated with national symbols: a towering fibreglass French cockerel stands guard over a rockery.

But on her office wall, to emphasise Le Pen's plea that she is not antisemitic, is an abstract painting by an Israeli artist and friend. "It's called the top of the world because that's where she said I was aiming ... well maybe not that high! Ha!" Le Pen throws her head back and delivers her trademark Sid James laugh.

Le Pen, or simply "Marine" as the nation casually calls her, has sparked the biggest political panic attack France has seen for a decade. The "Marine effect" on Monday brought a historic 15% for the Front National in the first round of local elections, striking fear into both left and right for this week's second round. The 42-year-old, twice-divorced, mother-of-three is so popular that several polls show her topping next year's French presidential first round and sailing through to the final round run-off. She is on a crusade to "soften" her party and strip away the old overtones of racist, antisemitic extremists while defending the core of her father's nationalism, and courting a new white-collar electorate fearful of crime, immigration, Muslims and losing their jobs.

She is the youngest of three blonde daughters who for decades were wheeled out by their father to symbolise the true French nation, and who were teased at school that "papa" was a "fascist". At eight, Le Pen survived a bomb attack on the family as they slept in their beds. Later, her parents' gruesome public divorce battle saw her mother pose in Playboy for revenge. All three Le Pen daughters publicly "lived and breathed the party", married and divorced Front National party workers, in Marine's case twice.

Trained as a lawyer, she has worked for the party machine for 25 years, and has now taken to the campaign trail with her partner, Louis Aliot, on the party's executive. "It's true that there's almost an intimacy between me and the French public. They feel a particular link to me because I'm not part of that self-proclaimed elite running France today," she said. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris | Monday, March 21, 2011

Élections cantonales 2011 : la "vague bleu Marine" se confirme dans les urnes
LE POINT: Grâce à la division de la droite, le FN obtient plus de 15 % des voix au premier tour du scrutin.

"La fameuse vague bleu Marine existe bel et bien !" Au siège du Front national, à Nanterre, dans les Hauts-de-Seine, l'atmosphère est à la fête. Avec 15,26 % des voix, dimanche, au premier tour des élections cantonales (consultez les résultats canton par canton), le parti de Marine Le Pen confirme dans les urnes sa forte poussée dans les sondages et talonne l'UMP, qui atteint 17,13 % (estimation dimanche minuit). La numéro un du FN jubile : "C'est un record historique dans des conditions difficiles, puisque l'UMP et le PS sont aux manettes depuis trente ans, et donc très implantés localement." Vêtue simplement d'un jean et d'un chemisier noir, Marine Le Pen analyse : "Ce scrutin confirme que le vote Front national n'est plus un vote de protestation, mais bel et bien un vote d'adhésion." Le FN affronterait en duel le PS ou l'UMP au second tour dans 206 cantons. » | Ségolène Gros de Larquier | Lundi 21 Mars 2011

French Far-right Leader Visits Lampedusa
Just weeks into her new job but France's far right leader was heckled during a visit to the Italian island of Lampedusa. 
Marie Le Pen arrived there to visit a centre for illegal migrants. Nearly 9,000 people have arrived on the island since January, many fleeing unrest North Africa. 
Al Jazeera's Shamim Chowdhury reports

Related articles here, here, and here

L’adhésion aux idées de l’extrême droite progresse en France
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: L’adhésion des Français aux idées du Front National (FN) a progressé de 6 points depuis le début de l’année. Quelque 28% d’entre eux se déclarent être en accord avec les opinions du parti d’extrême droite.

Désormais, seulement 61% des Français disent ne pas adhérer aux idées du FN alors que celles-ci, depuis une dizaine d’années, étaient jusqu’ici désapprouvées par 80% des sondés, précise le sondage réalisé par l’institut TNS Sofres et diffusé mardi matin par la chaîne de télévision privée Canal+.

Avec 28% de Français d’accord avec les idées du FN, on retrouve le niveau de mai 2002, lorsque Jean-Marie Le Pen s’était qualifié pour le second tour de la présidentielle. » | ATS / AFP | Mardi 15 Mars 2011