Marine Le Pen has declared that French President Emmanuel Macron is “finished” and will soon be forced to resign – triggering an early presidential election.
The National Rally leader made the bold claims in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper, suggesting she might support a second confidence vote against the newly forming government.
Le Pen’s comments come as Francois Bayrou prepares to pull his government together as France’s new Prime Minister after the ousting of Michel Barnier.
Le Pen said Macron had lost all authority – both domestically and abroad.
President Macron will soon be forced to resign, Marine Le Pen said
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She added that Macron “has even lost his power to appoint the Prime Minister, who appointed himself”.
Le Pen later laid into Macron’s diminishing influence in the EU, particularly regarding the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
“He has fallen out with everyone. He no longer has any influence in the European Union and was humiliated in the worst manner by his ‘creature’, Mrs Von der Leyen,” Le Pen said.
Le Pen would be the frontrunner in an early presidential election if Macron were to step down before his term ends in 2027, French opinion polls suggest.
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Le Pen said Macron ‘has even lost his power to appoint the prime minister, who appointed himself’
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However, her opponents have claimed she has ulterior motives for pushing for a swift election.
Ex-justice minister Eric Dupond-Moretti told France-Inter radio that Le Pen was acting with her upcoming legal ruling in mind.
“She fears the court will declare her ineligible for political office,” he said.
Le Pen faces trial in March on charges of embezzling European Parliament funds, with prosecutors seeking a five-year prison term and a ban from elected office.
France’s new PM Francois Bayrou has already admitted he faces significant challenges ahead
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But she has denied attempting to topple Macron, suggesting instead that his own centrist group in the hung parliament could force him out.
“I’m preparing for an early presidential election as a precaution, because of Emmanuel Macron’s fragility and the few institutional levers that he still has,” she said.
“The problems could even come from his own centrist bloc, which could disagree with his prime minister, or from the financial markets,” Le Pen added.
Le Pen also revealed that she was the first opposition politician to meet with new PM Bayrou after his appointment.
She said he had “promised to listen” to her party’s demands regarding tax policy in the upcoming budget – the successor to the one which forced out Michel Barnier.
Bayrou has already admitted he faces significant challenges ahead, and has said his task is one of “Himalayan” proportions in stabilising France’s worst political turmoil in six decades.
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