Le Pen boost pushes France nearer EU exit
FRANCE took a step towards its own EU referendum last night as far Right candidate Marine Le Pen sensationally made the last two in the race to be the next President.
The 48- year- old, who vowed to take France out of the EU in what has been dubbed Frexit, claimed 22 per cent of the vote.
She will go head- to- head next month with centre Left candidate Emmanuel Macron, 39, who also got through the first round with 23.7 per cent of the vote.
Last night, Ms Le Pen, who represents the National Front, said: “It’s an act of French confidence in the future.
“The French must seize this historical moment.”
Battle
She said it was her responsibility to “free the French people” and guard against “wild globalisation”. Ms Le Pen called for “national unity” and said it was necessary to fight against “unfair competition” and “free circulation of terrorists”.
She faces a considerable battle in the next round of voting, however, against odds- on favourite Mr Macron, who would be the youngest leader since Napoleon.
The public support for Mr Macron, a former merchant banker who set up his own political party En Marche, underlines the disenchantment with the French political system.
Significantly for the UK, Mr Macron is a key supporter of Britain being punished for Brexit.
Earlier French expats faced a four- hour wait to vote in London at two polling stations in the British capital and elsewhere in the UK.
The turnout for the election, which saw both conservative candidate Francois Fillon, 63, and hard- Left maverick Jean- Luc Melenchon, win around 20 per cent of the vote, was close to 80 per cent – roughly the same level as in 2012.
Mr Fillon’s campaign was hit by controversy after his British- born wife, Penelope, 61, was accused of fraudulently taking on two fictitious jobs including that of parliamentary assistant to her husband.
Last night he urged his supporters to switch their vote to Mr Macron instead of to Ms Le Pen, despite being on the opposite side of the political divide.
Mr Fillon said Le Pen’s party would “lead our country to bankruptcy”.
He said: “Extremism can only give rise to division. I will vote in favour of Em manuel Macron.”