France: Front National Leader Philippot Explains Why He’s Leaving the Party

Front National Calls for a 'New Political Movement' Says Jean Messiha - BBC News

Jean Messiha, a senior adviser to the leader of Fron National, Marine Le Pen, has said now there's a basis for a creating of a new political movement/alliance.

The Dark Side of France - People & Power

Last month more than seven and a half million French voters propelled the National Front's Marine Le Pen through to the final, second round of this year's presidential election on May 7.

Though recent opinion polls have consistently been against her getting past the centrist Emmanuel Macron to the Élysée Palace, the very fact that an openly xenophobic, anti-immigrant and anti-European Union politician is on the final ballot speaks to a great and troubling fracture in French society.

So how and why have so many people been persuaded to back her?

Though she has now, temporarily, stepped down as leader of her party, her affiliations are in no doubt.

The conundrum remains: how has someone who for years has been so identified with far-right chauvinism and exclusion managed to give her party an acceptable face and get within touching distance of the presidency?

French producers Charles Emptaz and Claire Billet, who usually spend their professional lives covering foreign stories far from home, were as puzzled by these questions as we were, so several weeks ago we sent them behind-the-scenes on the campaign trail to investigate.

Hofer: Le Pen "ne peut pas gagner"

LE FIGARO: La cheffe de l'extrême droite française Marine Le Pen "ne peut pas gagner" dimanche la présidentielle, estime l'ancien candidat d'extrême droite à la présidentielle autrichienne Norbert Hofer, instruit par sa propre défaite au second tour en décembre.

Bien que considérant Emmanuel Macron comme une "personnalité peu fiable, qui ne donne pas beaucoup confiance", "je crois que Le Pen ne peut pas gagner", a déclaré M. Hofer à la chaîne privée autrichienne Servus TV.

"Si je devais parier aujourd'hui, je dirais que l'élection se soldera par 41 à 59 (%)", a ajouté ce représentant du Parti de la liberté d'Autriche (FPÖ), une formation alliée au parti Front national de Marine Le Pen.

Loin d'être une défaite, ce serait "le meilleur résultat de l'histoire" du FN à ce jour, a-t-il toutefois insisté, relevant: "Ceux qui ont perdu, ce sont les socialistes". » | Par Le Figaro.fr avec AFP | samedi 5 mai 2017

Will Marine Le Pen Triumph in the French Elections?

Marine Le Pen and her party, Front national, have tapped into nationwide anxieties over Islam and the European Union. On the eve of the French elections, we consider why French voters have shifted to the right, and what hope the National Front party gives them of a new France.

What Would a Le Pen Victory Mean for France? – Inside Story

The two contenders for French President have now emerged. For the first time, they won't come from either of the main parties. Centrist Emmanuel Macron will take on far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the run-off election in two weeks. But this election is about more than just liberal versus conservative. It's about being for or against the establishment, immigration, the European Union and globalisation. So, what will a potential victory for Le Pen mean for France and Europe?

Presenter: Martine Dennis | Guests: Dominic Thomas - Chairman of the Department of French Studies at the University of California - Los Angeles; Laura Slimani - City Councilor in French city of Rouen and a former President of the Young Socialist Party in France; Matthew Goodwin - Professor of Politics and International Relations at the University of Kent.

Editorial du « Monde » : le refus du Front national

LE MONDE: La présence du FN au second tour de l’élection présidentielle et la défaite des candidats Les Républicains et du Parti socialiste font peser une menace inédite.

Editorial du « Monde ». Le bouleversement du paysage politique provoqué par le premier tour de la présidentielle, dimanche 23 avril, allie deux caractéristiques d’apparence contradictoire : à la fois prévisible et radical, attendu et néanmoins surprenant. Il était prévisible parce que les instituts de sondage, irréprochables tout au long de cette campagne, avaient annoncé la physionomie du second tour depuis plusieurs semaines. » | Par Jérôme Fenoglio (Directeur du "Monde") | lundi 24 avril 2017

French Parties Unify Against Le Pen: ‘This Is Deadly Serious Now’

THE NEW YORK TIMES: PARIS — Not since World War II has the anti-immigrant far right been closer to gaining power in France. With her second-place finish on Sunday in the first round of the presidential election, Marine Le Pen has dragged her National Front party from the dark fringes of its first 40 years.

But that remarkable accomplishment is so alarming to so many in France that as soon as the preliminary results were announced at 8:01 p.m., virtually all of her major opponents in the 11-person race called for her defeat in the second-round runoff on May 7. They implored their supporters to vote for the candidate projected to come out on top on Sunday, the centrist, pro-European Union former economy minister Emmanuel Macron, a political novice and outsider. » | Adam Nossiter | Sunday, April 23, 2017

Significant Part of LGBT Community to Support Le Pen in Upcoming Elections – Poll

Despite the tension over the National Front, polls show a significant part of LGB community will support Marine Le Pen in the first round of the election on Sunday

The Man Who Could Make Marine Le Pen President of France - Podcast

Florian Philippot is the strategist behind the rebranding of the extreme right Front National as a populist, anti-elite movement. But don’t mistake him for a moderate
Listen to the podcast here

‘The People Hold the Power to Get Rid of Mainstream Politicians’ – Patricia Chagnon

The National Front’s Marine Le Pen and ex-Socialist turned Independent Emmanuel Macron both chose to kick off their official campaigns this weekend. National Front member Patricia Chagnon says mainstream politicians are worried by the rise of anti-establishment sentiment - and are having to borrow ideas

Islam in France - BBC Documentary

A fascinating look at the problems surrounding Muslims and Islamic extremism in France, as well as the rise of the National Front.

France’s Far-Right National Front Party Is On The Rise (November 2016)

In France, right-wing populist party National Front continues to garner support, despite critics who say it punishes detractors and silences the press. The party tailors its ideology to fit different populations; in the French Rust Belt, it has gained favor with the traditionally socialist working class by promising to push back against global elites. Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports.

Can France Resist the Far Right?

Now that François Fillon has become the French right’s presidential candidate, it is possible that he will face Marine Le Pen of the Front National in the final round. Guardian columnist Natalie Nougayrède asks whether it is likely that France will have a far right president, and what the consequences would be for the country and for the rest of the world

We Must Choose between Assad and Islamists in Syria – Marion Le Pen

Non-establishment politicians are on the march – with Donald Trump winning the election in America, many are predicting similar shocks across the Atlantic. In France, the presidential vote is just months away and the country’s right-wing National Front party is polling strongly. As the country struggles with a refugee crisis and the threat of terrorism, can a force like the National Front offer answers? Does its leader, Marine Le Pen, have a real shot at securing the presidency? And how would that transform Europe?

France’s youngest MP and National Front member, Marion Marechal Le Pen, talks to RT's Sophie Shevardnadze

Inside Story - Who Can Stand Up to the National Front?

Republicans in France choose their candidate for the presidential election next May

Brexit makes far-right stronger, says Marine Le Pen - BBC Newsnight‬

France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen has called the UK's Brexit vote "the most important moment since the fall of the Berlin Wall". The National Front leader was speaking to Emily Maitlis in her first broadcast interview since the referendum. Ms Le Pen said her party had been given a boost by the result.

France: Le Pen Calls for French EU Referendum after Brexit Victory

Front National Held Back In France – But Its Trajectory Is On The Up

THE GUARDIAN: Voters for Marine Le Pen’s far-right party can no longer be confined to a particular stereotype

The election night mood in France was one of grim introspection.

Even if the rising tide of the far right Front National (FN) had been held back – temporarily at least – by tactical voting and a leap in turnout, the lessons were clear to see. The nationalist, anti-immigration, anti-European party was here to stay.

There were no winners in an election that consisted of establishment parties running around at the last minute trying desperately to outwit what they warned was a racist, xenophobic, Islamophobic and overwhelmingly dangerous party.

There was no serious examination of the reasons why voters were turning away from the parties of government and flocking to the FN not just as a mere protest vote, but as a political alternative.

When the FN made a historic breakthrough and took nearly 28% of the vote in the first round of the regional elections, it was yet another moment in which the party was ranked as “the most popular in France” after successively topping a series of polls from the European elections onwards in a steady rise.

Even if the FN has failed to win overall control of a region – just as it had failed to win overall control of any smaller local départements earlier this year – its broad trajectory is on the up. » | Angelique Chrisafis in Paris | Sunday, December 13, 2015

Einschätzungen von Frankreich-Korrespondent Charles Liebherr