French lawmaker Marion Marechal-Le Pen takes a break from politics
Defeated French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen's niece, Marion Marechal-Le Pen, has decided to take a break from politics three days after her aunt's defeat. The 27-year-old National Front (FN) lawmaker will not seek re-election in the 18th Legislative Elections on 11 Jun'17. She will also leave the position of FN President in Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur. The move is considered a blow to Marine.
Marion Marechal-Le Pen - Rising star of France's National Front
Marion Marechal-Le Pen is the granddaughter of National Front (FN) Founder Jean-Marie Le Pen and niece of former FN President Marine Le Pen. She joined National Front at 18 and became a member of its executive board in 2012. At 22, she was elected as the Member of Parliament from Vaucluse's 3rd Constituency in 2012, becoming France's youngest MP in modern political history.
Been in this political world all my life - Marion
Marion stated: "I've been in this political world all my life. At 27, it is time for me to leave it for some time. I am not giving up forever on this political battle." She added it's essential to devote time to her two-year-old daughter.
Disagreement at the top of the far-right party?
The move hinting at an aunt-niece rift in the National Front comes after Marine Le Pen won less than 34% of the vote, sparking questions about the far-right party's future. Marechal-Le Pen, a popular figure and one of the only two FN lawmakers in the outgoing parliament, is reportedly leaving politics for a while due to "personal and political" reasons.
There are clearly lessons to be learnt- Marion on defeat
Marion holds more hardline positions on socio-economic issues than Marine which were silenced in the lead-up to the presidential election. Marion participated in a movement opposing gay marriage laws introduced in 2013 while Marine avoided it. Following the defeat, Marion stated her aunt's toning down of the stance on exiting from the Euro currency was too late and failed to convince voters.
Marion's decision a huge disappointment, says FN Founder Jean-Marie
Several in FN hoped Marechal-Le Pen will eventually take over from her aunt Marine. But, reports suggest there have been some differences between the two. Their relationship with Jean-Marie Le Pen was one of them; Marine is estranged from him while Marion maintained closer ties. Jean-Marie said Marion represented a hope for the future for many and her "desertion" is a huge disappointment.
National Front specialist Joel Gombin's statement
"This (Marion's decision) raises a lot of questions on how the party will evolve. It risks leaving a number of people orphan, and could trigger some fighting among those would like to take over from her at the head of the ultra-conservative faction of FN."
