Le Pen kicks off campaign with promise of ‘freedom’

LYON (Reuters) – French far-right leader Marine Le Pen kicked off her presidential campaign on Saturday with a promise to shield voters from globalization and make their country “free,” hoping to profit from political turmoil to score a Donald Trump-style upset.

Opinion polls see the 48-year old daughter of National Front founder Jean-Marie Le Pen topping the first round on April 23 but then losing the May 7 runoff to a mainstream candidate.

But in the most unpredictable election race France has known in decades, the National Front hopes the scandal hitting conservative candidate François Fillon and the rise of populism across the West will help convince voters to back Le Pen.

“We were told Donald Trump would never win in the United States against the media, against the establishment, but he won... We were told Marine Le Pen would not win the presidential election, but on May 7 she will win!” Jean-Lin Lacapelle, a top National Front official, told several hundred party officials and members.

In 144 “commitments” published at the start of a two-day rally in Lyon, Le Pen proposes leaving the euro zone, holding a referendum on EU membership, slapping taxes on imports and on the job contracts of foreigners, lowering the retirement age and increasing several welfare benefits while lowering income tax.

The manifesto also foresees reserving certain rights now available to all residents, including free education, to French citizens only, hiring 15,000 police, curbing migration and leaving NATO’s integrated command.

“The aim of this program is first of all to give France its freedom back and give the people a voice,” Le Pen said in the introduction to the manifesto.