Le Pen aide charged as France’s Macron wins key ally
FRENCH presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron won the support of a key centrist onWednesday, hailing it as a turning point in his campaign, as an aide to his far-right rival Marine Le Pen was charged in a fake jobs scandal.
With two months to go before France’s unpredictable election, centrist veteran François Bayrou announced an alliance with Macron to counter the “major threat” posed by the far-right.
Bayrou had hinted for months at his own presidential run but ended the sus- pense by saying he would not mount a rival bid, to avoid splitting the votes of moderates to the benefit of Le Pen.
His announcement came as a boost to ex-economy minister Macron, who saw his ratings rise in recent weeks after conservative challenger François Fillon was hit by damaging corruption allegations but has slipped behind him again in the latest poll.
Le Pen, meanwhile, suffered a blow on Wednesday when her personal assistant Catherine Griset was charged with breach of trust in a probe into allegations the candidate’s National Front party defrauded the European Parliament of about $360,000. The legislature accuses Le Pen, an MEP, of using parliamentary funds to pay Griset as well as bodyguard Thierry Legier while they worked for her party in France rather than at the parliament. Le Pen has furiously denied the claims.
Justice should not be used to interfere in the May 23 presidential election as “this is an important democratic moment” and “fundamental” for France, she said on Wednesday.
“It is surprising that two months before the presidential election, there is this great judicial activity,” she told the TF1 channel.
She questioned the “impartiality and independence” of “the administration of justice.”
The scandal comes as Fillon battles his own investigation into claims his British-born wife Penelope was paid around $739,000 over 15 years as a parliamentary assistant, despite little evidence that she did any work.
Opinion polls currently show Le Pen winning the first round of the election in April 23, although she is forecast to lose in the runoff on May 7.