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French far-right leader Marine Le Pen loses another ally as niece pulls support

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French far-right leader Marine Le Pen loses another ally as niece pulls support
Marion Maréchal, left, became the first National Front MP elected to the French parliament since 1997 in 2012. She has refused to lend her support to her aunt, Marine Le Pen, right. (Photo by Joël SAGET / AFP)

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is tipped as a likely candidate to reach the second round of the presidential election in April. But she has lost the support of her niece, a darling of the far-right.

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Marion Maréchal, a former MP for the far-right Rassemblement national (RN) party, will not support its candidate - her aunt, Marine Le Pen - in the French presidential election. 

In an interview with Le Parisien, Marion Maréchal, who became the youngest MP in French parliamentary history at the age of 22 back in 2012, hinted that she may lend her support to another far-right candidate, Éric Zemmour. 

"It would not just be a question of passing by and saying hello. It would mean returning to politics," she said on Thursday.

"It is a true life choice to make, a decision that weighs heavily."

Marion Maréchal stepped down as an MP in 2017 to set up a private university in Lyon specialised in conservative political studies, but remains a popular figure of the French far-right. 

Marine Le Pen has reacted angrily to the news which comes after the high profile defections of former close allies Gilbert Collard and Jérôme Rivière to Zemmour.

"She indicated that she would support the candidate that is best placed. Undoubtedly, I am the better place than Éric Zemmour today as I am tipped to make it to the second-round of the election," said Le Pen. 

An unnamed  member of Le Pen's entourage told BFMTV: "Even if she [Marion Maréchal] went for it, it would only increase Zemmour's support by 1 percent. She represents a microcosm. She has shut herself into an extreme-right ghetto". 

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According to a poll conducted by Harris Interactive from January 21-24, Marine Le Pen is the most likely candidate to face French President Emmanuel Macron in the second round run-off of the presidential election in April, winning 17 percent of the vote in the first-round. 

The next likeliest challenger is the right-wing conservative candidate, Valérie Pécresse, who is currently polling at 15 percent. Éric Zemmour, a far-right media pundit and newcomer to the world of party politics, stands at 14 percent. 

Macron has yet to officially announce his bid for reelection but last week said he would give his decision "in due course". 

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Anonymous 2022/01/28 10:40
It would seem to escape all far right candidates that a vote for any of them is basically a vote for Macron. Unless their supporters show more sense and engage in large-scale tactical voting, it will be more of the same come April.
  • thelocal_462458 2022/01/28 12:01
    And that’s what readers of The Local need - more of the same.

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