Paris Prosecutor Seeks Jail and Public Office Ban for Marine Le Pen

THE GUARDIAN: Request in embezzlement trial threatens to undermine National Rally’s efforts to polish image before 2027 polls

A screenshot taken from today’s article in the Guardian. | Marine Le Pen arrives for the trial over the suspected embezzlement of EU funds. Photograph: Aurélien Morissard/AP
A Paris prosecutor has requested a five-year prison sentence and a five-year ban from public office for the far-right leader Marine Le Pen, at a trial in which she and 24 others are accused of embezzling EU funds.

The trial, which comes almost a decade after initial investigations started, threatens to undermine her National Rally (RN) party’s efforts to polish its image before the 2027 presidential election, which many believe she could win. » | Angelique Chrisafis and agencies | Thursday, November 14, 2024

The Far Right Is Close to Power in France. Will the Rest of Europe Follow?

A screenshot taken from theis article. | GETTY IMAGES
BBC: How likely is France to wake up on Monday morning to a new far-right dawn?

That was the garishly painted, hotly debated scenario in media headlines, the EU in Brussels and seats of government across Europe following the first round of France’s parliamentary vote last week.

But despite the spectacular showing by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party, the short answer is: an RN majority is possible. Not probable.

French centrist and leftist parties have strategically withdrawn candidates to bolster each other’s contenders ahead of Sunday’s decisive second round.

But the impact of this election will be seismic, whether or not the RN wins an outright majority - or whether Jordan Bardella, its social media-savvy young president, becomes France’s new prime minister.

Polls predict RN is all but guaranteed to win more seats than any other political grouping.>br />
That means a decades-old taboo will have been shattered in France, a core EU nation. » | Katya Adler, Europe editor | Sunday, July 7, 2024

Frankreich-Wahl: So geht es weiter | Mittagsmagazin

Jul 1, 2024 | Das Ergebnis der Hochrechnungen zur Frankreich-Wahl hat bei vielen für einen Schock gesorgt. Mehr als ein Drittel der Stimmen konnten die Rechtspopulisten um Marine Le Pen in der ersten Runde auf sich vereinen. Die Rechnung von Präsident Macron scheint bisher nicht aufgegangen. Endgültige Ergebnisse aber gibt es erst nach der zweiten Runde. Über den Kater am Tag danach - und die Hoffnung vor Runde zwei berichtet ZDF-Reporterin Anna Feist.

France Votes as the Far-right Seeks Power | REUTERS

Jul 7, 2024 | Polls open in France's run-off election, with the far-right forecast to win the most votes but fall short of a parliamentary majority.

'I Am the Anti-Merkel': Marine Le Pen on Brexit, EU, Putin and Nato - BBC Newsnight

Mar 29, 2017 | France's far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen speaks to Emily Maitlis just weeks ahead of the French presidential elections.

France and the Far Right

Jul 4, 2024 | After the first round of voting in the parliamentary poll, the clear winner with 33% of the votes was Marine Le Pen’s far right RN Party. They are the successor to the Front Nationale created by Jean Marie Le Pen, Marine’s Dad who famously declared that the holocaust was a 'detail' of history.

The RN were hoping to install their candidate Jordan Bardella as prime Minister, but ahead of the second round of voting more than 200 opposition candidates have quit allowing for an anti RN coalition.

Will that be enough to keep them out of office…and how did it even get this far?

Adrian Goldberg hears from Assa Samake Roman, a French journalist based in Edinburgh, and Olly Haynes, a freelance specialising in France.

'You're Kidding Me, Right?': Amanpour Challenges Le Pen on 'Far-right'

Jul 5, 2024 | CNN's Christiane Amanpour asks Marine Le Pen, from France's National Rally party, about the rise of the far-right in Europe and beyond.

France’s Far Right Celebrates Lead after First Round of Parliamentary Elections | BBC News

Jul 1, 2024 | France’s far right is in pole position after the first round of parliamentary elections that confirmed their dominance in French politics.

Supporters of Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration National Rally (RN) cheered as she said the president’s “Macronist bloc has been all but wiped out”. RN won 33.1% of the vote, with a left-wing alliance behind on 28%, and the Macron camp behind on 20.76%.

This marks the first time the far right has won the first round of a French parliamentary election. “I aim to be prime minister for all the French people, if the French give us their votes,” said 28-year-old RN party leader Jordan Bardella.

French Elections Results: Could Le Pen's National Rally Win an Absolute Majority?

Jul 1, 2024 | The first round of France's legislative elections resulted in an emphatic victory for Marine Le Pen's far right party National Rally, which has set its sights on an absolute majority. Bloomberg's Caroline Connan reports.

French Far Right Wins Big in First Round of Voting

THE NEW YORK TIMES: A surprise decision by President Emmanuel Macron to hold a snap election appears to have backfired badly, giving the National Rally a decisive victory.

Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, giving a speech Sunday evening in Hénin-Beaumont, France. | Francois Lo Presti/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
The National Rally party on Sunday won a crushing victory in the first round of voting for the French National Assembly, bringing its long-taboo brand of nationalist and anti-immigrant politics to the threshold of power for the first time.

Official results published by the Interior Ministry showed that the party and its allies won about 33 percent of the vote, far ahead of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party and its allies, which took about 20 percent to end in third place.

A coalition of left-wing parties, called the New Popular Front, won about 28 percent of the vote. Ranging from the moderate socialists to the far-left France Unbowed, the coalition was boosted by strong support among young people. » | Roger Cohen, Reporting from Paris | Sunday, June 30, 2024

Le Pen Set to Humiliate Macron in French Elections

Jun 30, 2024 | Marine Le Pen’s National Rally and its allies could win control of the French parliament in a humiliation for President Macron, final polls indicate before the first round of voting on Sunday. This would open the way for her protégé, Jordan Bardella, 28, to become the country’s youngest prime minister after the run-off next Sunday, ushering in a period of so-called cohabitation that would curb Macron’s powers during the final three years of his presidency.

Polls Predict ‘Extremely Bad Result’ for Macron’s Centrist Party as National Rally ‘Widens Lead’

Jun 30, 2024 | “The National Rally has actually widened its lead over Macron’s party and its allies since the European elections.”

President Macron’s centrist political coalition is currently polling in third place, behind an alliance of leftist parties in second place and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in first place, says The Times reporter David Chazan.

Will Macron’s Snap Election Gamble Backfire? | DW News

June 28, 2024 | France goes to the polls on Sunday in snap parliamentary elections. President Emmanuel Macron called the vote in response to his party's dismal showing in the European elections earlier this month. It's a gamble for Macron. He hopes to see off right-wing opponents - but may end up losing power. We spoke to DW’s correspondent Sonia Phalnikar in Paris about what's at stake for France.

Le Pen Claims Far Right Will Win Majority and Take Over Some Military Decisions

THE GUARDIAN: National Rally leader says Macron ‘won’t have choice’ but to appoint her protege as PM and he would make decisions on Ukraine support

Marine Le Pen has said she expects her far-right National Rally (RN) party to win an absolute majority in France’s general election, form a government and take over at least some defence and armed forces decision-making – including on Ukraine.

France’s constitution states that the president is head of the armed forces and chairs France’s national defence committees, but also that the prime minister is “responsible for national defence”, leaving the precise role of the premier open to interpretation. » | Jon Henley in Paris | Thursday, June 27, 2024

Liz Webster: Brexit Is So Bad Even Le Pen Daren’t Mention It

Jun 11, 2024 | We have Starmer ignoring Brexit and many of us hoping he will DEAL with it once in power.

France has Marine Le Pen now ignoring Frexit, hoping to win power no doubt to rip France out of the EU. Macron has rolled the dice and within the next month, things could look very much more consolidated or unstable.

Andrew Neil on the National Rally, Macron's Demise and a Populist Europe | SpectatorTV

Jun 8, 2024 | Andrew Neil joins Freddy Gray to discuss the rise of Marine Le Pen in the lead up the EU elections; how the right now appeals to the working class voter base; and what the EU elections could mean for British politics.

Les Républicains leader says he wants alliance with France’s far-right National Rally: Éric Ciotti’s announcement welcomed by Marine Le Pen as ‘brave choice’ but seen as betrayal by members of mainstream right »

France’s Far-right National Rally Elects New President to Replace Le Pen

THE GUARDIAN: ordan Bardella, 27, who joined the party as a teenager and is a protege of Marine Le Pen, replaces her as leader

Jordan Bardella, newly-elected president of the RN party, holds the hand of Marine Le Pen after the results during the National Rally party's Congress in Paris, France. Photograph: Christian Hartmann/Reuters
France’s far-right National Rally (RN) has elected a 27-year-old from the Paris banlieue who joined the party as a teenager as its new president to replace Marine Le Pen.

The result means that for the first time since the party – originally the National Front – was created in 1972, it will not be run by a Le Pen.

Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s protege, who has been caretaker president for a year, beat Louis Aliot, 53, the mayor of Perpignan, a party heavyweight as well as Le Pen’s former partner, by 85% to 15% of party members who voted.

There were cheers and a standing ovation as Le Pen announced the result. The handover comes at a tense time for the RN after one of its MPs was suspended from parliament for a racist outburst last week. » | Kim Willsher in Paris | Saturday, November 5, 2022

Marine Le Pen passe la main à Jordan Bardella pour diriger le Rassemblement national : L’eurodéputé, qui assure l’intérim de la présidence du RN depuis un an, a obtenu 84,84 % des suffrages lors du vote qui s’est déroulé dans la matinée. »

Politischer Ziehsohn von Le Pen wird neuer Parteichef : Er ist jung, stramm rechtsnational und binnen kürzester Zeit aufgestiegen: Jordan Bardella übernimmt den Vorsitz des Rassemblement National. Die größte Herausforderung erwartet ihn in der Provinz. »

De Budapest à Varsovie, le silence et l’embarras des gouvernements populistes d’Europe centrale

LE MONDE : Le Hongrois Viktor Orban espérait qu’une victoire de Marine Le Pen lui permettrait de refonder une droite européenne souverainiste.

La dirigeante du parti d’extrême droite français Rassemblement national (RN) Marine Le Pen (à droite), et le Premier ministre hongrois Viktor Orban (à gauche) avant le « Sommet de Varsovie », une réunion des dirigeants des partis conservateurs et de droite européens, en Pologne, le 4 décembre 2021. WOJTEK RADWANSKI / AFP
En allant inaugurer le salon hongrois de la formation professionnelle de Budapest, lundi 25 avril, Viktor Orban n’a pas eu le temps de commenter les résultats des élections françaises, où son alliée, Marine Le Pen, a essuyé une défaite dans les urnes, la veille. « Les forces nationales ont remporté les élections législatives il y a trois semaines avec un soutien sans précédent », a seulement vanté le premier ministre nationaliste, mais c’était au sujet de sa propre réélection, écrasante, le 3 avril. La quasi-totalité des chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement européens, y compris ses alliés polonais, ont pourtant félicité M. Macron dès dimanche soir.

Ce silence n’est pas une surprise. M. Macron a utilisé le souverainiste hongrois comme épouvantail pendant toute la campagne et il n’a toujours pas, lui non plus, félicité M. Orban pour sa réélection. Mais, surtout, la défaite de Marine Le Pen contrarie tous les plans de refonte des droites et les espoirs de chamboulement de l’Union européenne que le chef de gouvernement hongrois partageait avec ses alliés ultraconservateurs au pouvoir à Varsovie. « Le camp souverainiste est devenu une force incontournable de la politique européenne et, nous aussi, nous voulons voir une Europe des Etats-nations », avait espéré M. Orban lors de la visite de Mme Le Pen à Budapest, en octobre. Une banque hongroise appartenant en partie à son ami d’enfance, la MKB, a par la suite financé la campagne de la candidate d’extrême droite. » | Par Jean-Baptiste Chastand (Vienne, correspondant régional) et Jakub Iwaniuk(Varsovie, correspondant) | lundi 25 avril 2022

Article réservé aux abonnés

heute journal vom 24.04.2022

Apr 24, 2022 • Erste Hochrechnungen französischer Fernsehsender zeigen, die Französinnen und Franzosen haben sich für ein "Weiter so" entschieden. Für Emmanuel Macron stimmten laut France 2 58,2 Prozent. Auf Marine Le Pen entfielen 41,8 Prozent der Stimmen. Macron ist damit der erste Präsident seit Jacques Chirac im Jahr 2002, der eine zweite Amtszeit antritt. Mehr dazu und weitere Nachrichten des Tages im heute journal.

Wahlen in Frankreich: Was wäre, wenn sie es wird

DER STANDARD: Ein Wahlerfolg für die Rechtspopulistin Marine Le Pen wäre politisches Dynamit für ganz Europa. Ihre Vorschläge für Verfassungsänderungen würden weiter gehen als jene in Polen

In den letzten Umfragen konnte Emmanuel Macron seinen Vorsprung auf Marine Le Pen leicht vergrößern, dennoch wurden die besorgten Appelle an die Wählerschaft häufiger: Ja, es gebe am Amtsinhaber sicher viel auszusetzen – doch die Alternative wäre bedeutend schlimmer.

Grünen-Kandidat Yannik Jadot rief dazu auf, "ohne Zögern, ohne Ambivalenz, in aller Klarheit" für Macron zu stimmen. Der Chefredakteur der Zeitung La Croix, Jérôme Chapuit, wandte sich direkt an seine katholischen Leser, die laut der Analyse des ersten Wahlgangs fast ebenso häufig für die Populistin wie für den Präsidenten gestimmt hatten. Le Pen liege auf der gleichen Linie wie Donald Trump und Wladimir Putin, sagte Chapuit per Video; spätestens seit dem Ukraine-Krieg wüssten alle, dass Nationalismus nur zu Spaltung und Gewalt führe. "Eine Art Staatsstreich" » | Analyse / Stefan Brändle aus Paris | Sonntag, 24. April 2022