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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 26 april 2022
Far-right Le Pen plots parliament win after loss to Macron

By ELAINE GANLEY freedom," he said in a
Associated Press tweet late Sunday.
PARIS (AP) — French far- Many voters already ex-
right leader Marine Le Pen pect that Le Pen will gain
gathered her party's troops more seats in parliament,
on Monday, not to mourn the question is only how
her loss a day earlier in the much.
French presidential elec- "The gap (between Len
tion but to plot out how Pen's and Macron's parties)
to orchestrate a victory in is closing, and the National
June's parliamentary vote Rally party is going up," said
and capture a majority of French music teacher Valé-
seats in the National As- rie Jacquet, 56.
sembly. She said that shows the
Centrist President Em- French are worried about
manuel Macron beat her their purchasing power —
58.5% to 41.5% to win re- Le Pen's main campaign
election Sunday but Le theme — and security.
Pen produced her highest- "But I think that Mrs. Le Pen's
ever level of support in her platform is too extreme.
three attempts to become She pushes people apart,"
France's leader. That gave Far-right leader Marine Le Pen speaks after the early result projections of the French presidential Jacquet said.
the 53-year-old national- election runoff were announced in Paris, Sunday, April 24, 2022. The National Assembly cur-
ist firebrand momentum as Associated Press rently has 577 seats, with
she charged into what is Macron and his allies con-
called the "third round" of flation and the fallout from would crack down severely ate a "Europe of Nations," trolling 313 of them. Le
voting, hoping to turn the sanctions on Russia for its on immigrants and diminish replacing the current sys- Pen's party has only 8 seats
tables on Macron's majority invasion of Ukraine — and the role of the EU and NATO tem with a patriotic version now but would like to up-
in parliament. what she calls the "elitists" in France, sent many voters that would have returned set Macron's majority with
Le Pen called a national of Macron's staunchly pro- into the arms of Macron. some powers to EU coun- a broader far-right move-
bureau meeting of her far- EU voters. That was not due to their tries, whose sovereignty she ment to hobble his ability
right National Rally party on Whether Le Pen can break support for the 44-year-old and other populist leaders to get his agenda passed.
Monday. through the ceiling of voter president but to their desire feel has been diminished. But France's voting system
Le Pen's high support Sun- fear that has blocked her to block his populist op- Italian right-wing leader stands a bit in the way of a
day laid bare a European party in the past is central ponent. Le Pen also ques- Matteo Salvini, a close Le far-right conquest in parlia-
Union nation that is frac- to capturing enough seats tioned why France is send- Pen ally, pledged to con- ment.
tured between those she in parliament. ing arms to Ukraine. tinue their common project The legislative vote comes
refers to as the "France of Still, the fear factor played A revamped France under toward this vision. in two rounds on June 12
the forgotten" — the vulner- a large role in her presiden- Le Pen — with less Europe "Onward, together, for a and June 19. Candidates
able working class that has tial loss. — also pushed some voters Europe founded on work, who win a majority in the
been hard hit by rising in- Le Pen's program, which aside. Her goal was to cre- family, security, rights and first round are elected.q

U.K. women slam sexism of 'Basic Instinct' slur on lawmaker

JILL LAWLESS wearing a short skirt. The prime minister con-
LONDON (AP) — Women Rayner accused "Boris demned the article, writing
from across British politics Johnson's cheerleaders" of on Twitter: "As much as I dis-
called Monday for action using "desperate, pervert- agree with Angela Rayner
to tackle misogyny after ed smears." on almost every political is-
a newspaper ran a story "I stand accused of a 'ploy' sue, I respect her as a par-
accusing the deputy op- to "distract" the helpless liamentarian and deplore
position leader of trying to PM - by being a woman, the misogyny directed at
"distract" the prime minister having legs and wearing her anonymously today."
during debates by crossing clothes," she wrote on Twit- Johnson said Monday he
and uncrossing her legs.The ter. "Women in politics face had gotten in touch with
Mail on Sunday quoted an sexism and misogyny every Rayner about the article,
anonymous Conservative day — and I'm no different." which he called "the most
lawmaker as saying Labour Rayner, who comes from appalling load of sexist, mi-
Party Deputy Leader An- a working-class fam- sogynist tripe."
gela Rayner tried to throw ily in northern England, left He said the anonymous
Conservative Prime Minister school when she was 16 lawmaker who made the Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner watches as the leader of
the British Labour Party Keir Starmer makes his keynote speech
Boris Johnson "off his stride" and got her political start "Basic Instinct" comments at the annual party conference in Brighton, England, Wednes-
as she sat across from in the trade union move- would face "the terrors of day, Sept. 29, 2021.
him in the House of Com- ment. That makes a sharp the Earth" if identified. Associated Press
mons. The article called it contrast with Johnson, who "It's totally intolerable, that
"a fully-clothed Parliamen- was educated at the elite kind of thing," Johnson told 34% of the 650 legislators Still, some say change has
tary equivalent of Sharon private school Eton and British broadcasters. in the House of Commons. not gone far enough. Many
Stone's infamous scene in Oxford University. Johnson More than a century after Long known for its boozy, female U.K. politicians said
the 1992 film 'Basic Instinct,'" has sometimes struggled the first female lawmaker macho atmosphere, Parlia- the article was an extreme
in which Stone distracts to parry her attacks during was elected to Britain's Par- ment is now a more diverse example of the sexism they
police interrogators while debates. liament, women make up place. encounter daily.q