Le Pen Shows Far-Right Presence Despite Defeat in French Presidential Election: "I Saw Hope"

RN candidate Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election
[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

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[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] "We achieved a brilliant victory in terms of the vote share itself. I saw hope."

On the 24th (local time), Marine Le Pen, the National Rally (RN) candidate who was defeated by President Emmanuel Macron in the French presidential election runoff, firmly stated this. While declaring defeat, she emphasized to her supporters with a strong voice rather than showing disappointment, saying, "Millions of compatriots chose us, chose change."

Le Pen, who advanced to the French presidential runoff twice in a row as a far-right politician for the first time since 2017, raised her vote share by 7.5 percentage points from 33.9% to 41.5% in five years. The far-right faction, which has never been part of the political mainstream, has grown into a powerful presidential candidate capable of checking the current president.

To bring the far-right into the political mainstream, Le Pen refrained from making statements on far-right policies such as anti-immigration policies or "Frexit," which means France's withdrawal from the European Union (EU), her key campaign pledges during this election. Judging that the image of a hardline far-right politician led to her defeat in the 2017 election, she focused on showing a softer image and connecting with the public.

The history of the French far-right party can also be found in Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine Le Pen's father and the icon of the "original far-right." Jean-Marie Le Pen, who ran for the presidency for the fifth time in 2002 as the National Front (FN) candidate, the predecessor of the National Rally, secured a runoff ticket for the first time by placing second with 16.9% of the vote in the first round. However, he was heavily defeated in the runoff with 17.8% of the vote by then-President Jacques Chirac, who was seeking re-election.

Having failed in three presidential bids, Marine Le Pen is expected to seek seats for the far-right camp in the upcoming June legislative election. On this day, she said, "I will continue my dedication to France and the French people," adding, "It is not over yet. The legislative election will be held in a few weeks." In the legislative election held one month after the 2017 presidential election, the National Rally won only 8 out of 577 seats in the National Assembly.

Le Pen, a lawyer who majored in criminal law at university, first entered politics by running as an FN candidate in Paris's 16th district in the 1993 legislative election. She has served as a member of the National Assembly, regional council, and European Parliament. She married in 1997 and divorced her first husband in 2000, with whom she has three children: two daughters and a son. She remarried in 2002 but ended her second marriage in 2006.

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