Marine Le Pen

Emmanuel Macron travels to Marine Le Pen’s heartland as they ‘cross swords’ on campaign trail

Emmanuel Macron entered the lion’s den by travelling to hostile northern French towns that voted overwhelmingly for Marine Le Pen in Sunday’s first round of the presidential election.

Marine Le Pen’s economic policies a ‘fantasy’, says Emmanuel Macron as cost of living debated ahead of France’s presidential election

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen traded blows at a distance yesterday over who would best protect French voters’ purchasing power – kicking off a tense fight to win the presidential election run-off on April 24.

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Ishaan Tharoor Opinion Disenchanted voters may yet boost Le Pen’s chances

Charles de Gaulle, who ushered in the country’s Fifth Republic, believed in a strong presidency. The constitution he and his allies implemented provided for direct universal suffrage elections for the presidency, over two rounds.

Euro steadies as Macron leads in first round of French election

The euro looked set to snap a seven-day losing streak versus the dollar yesterday, as the single currency rallied after French leader Emmanuel Macron polled ahead of far-right challenger Marine Le Pen in the country’s first round of presidential voting.

How president’s gamble appears to have paid off

Even the French president admitted to a few flutters of nerves as Marine Le Pen closed the gap before yesterday’s first round.

‘Macron has done too much for the rich. Le Pen could be worse but let’s try her’

Surrounded by burly bodyguards with shaven heads and admirers in search of selfies, Marine Le Pen received a hero’s welcome as she walked through a covered market in Narbonne, south-western France, on her last campaign stop before the start of French elections this weekend.

‘Marine Le Pen has never been so capable of winning a presidential election’

French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday accused his far-right challenger Marine Le Pen of lying to voters about her “racist” platform, as the gap in voter support for the two old political rivals narrows down ever further.

Macron is dodging a debate with me, claims Le Pen as she closes gap in polls

Emmanuel Macron has been accused of dodging debates days ahead of France’s presidential election, snubbing a high-profile TV appearance just as an opinion poll showed Marine Le Pen in her strongest position yet.

Marine Le Pen looks to write off her links with Putin as French election battle looms

French far-right party National Rally is attempting to prevent the circulation of 1.2 million election pamphlets featuring leader Marine Le Pen shaking hands with Vladimir Putin, according to local reports.

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John Downing Opinion Emmanuel Macron tipped to stay on in Elysee despite bruising failure to steer Vladimir Putin away from conflict

Six weeks from voting in the French presidential election, Emmanuel Macron looks rather battered from trying too long and with total lack of success to talk Vladimir Putin out of war.

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John Downing Opinion Appeals for left unity are doomed but Macron remains under pressure

The Oscar-winning film star Juliette Binoche is rated France’s best-loved and highest-paid actor. Well known for roles in The English Patient and Chocolat among many others, she has joined 100 top artists in an appeal to the seven left-wing presidential candidates to unite around just one.

Europe’s far-right meets to discuss a ‘grand alliance’

The leaders of far-right and nationalist parties from across Europe gathered in Warsaw yesterday in an attempt to form an alliance that could become the second-biggest party in the European Parliament.

Move over Marine Le Pen, here comes Monsieur Le Trump

The Grand Hôtel de Nîmes is more ‘grand’ in a Colonel Gaddafi sort of way than ‘grand’ in an Irish sort of way. The hotel on the outskirts of Nîmes in southern France has, for example, the statue of a 5ft golden Great Dane in reception. You know something’s up when the 2,000 people filing past aren’t playing a blind bit of notice to the massive golden dog.

Le Pen puts blame for party’s poor results on low turnout

Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party took the lead in the key battleground region of Provence in France in the first round of regional voting, according to last night’s first exit poll.

‘There’s always a risk of civil war’ – French far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s ominous warning as she prepares for 2022 election

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said France is at risk of a “civil war” as she prepares to tackle President Emmanuel Macron in the 2022 election.

Woman stabbed to death in Paris police station ‘terror attack’

A female police worker died after being stabbed twice in the throat at a police station in the Paris suburb of Rambouillet in what Emmanuel Macron described as an act of terrorism.

Investigation into fake news claims as French presidential election enters final days

Fake news and alleged hacking attempts have dominated France's tense presidential campaign, with just two days left for independent Emmanuel Macron and his far-right rival Marine Le Pen to win over voters before Sunday's high-stakes run-off.

Le Pen savages immigrants in final rallying cry

Marine Le Pen focused on Islamist terrorism and the threat to France from immigrants last night in her final rally before this weekend's fiercely contested presidential election first round.

Le Pen cries out to Joan of Arc amid May Day march chaos

front National founder Jean-Marie Le Pen cried out to patron saint Joan of Arc for help at the party's annual May Day march yesterday, while bare-chested Femen activists used a bullhorn to drown out a speech by his daughter, president of the far-right party.

Le Pen dog fight after dad's Doberman eats Marine's cat

Marine Le Pen has moved out of the chateau estate she shared with her father Jean-Marie - the firebrand founder of the far-Right Front National in France - after one of his Doberman dogs reportedly killed one of her Bengal cats.

Le Pen is modern Joan of Arc‑ Bardot

Brigitte Bardot, the 1960s icon of liberated, bikini-clad French womanhood, has described the far-right leader Marine Le Pen as "the Joan of Arc of the 21st century" in an interview with Paris Match.