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WORLD NEWSFriday 11 December 2015
Le Pen promises no witch hunts in regions her far-right wins
ELAINE GANLEY French far-right National Front Party leader, Marine Le Pen, center left, greets Far right National deciding on subsidies for
Associated Press Front party regional leader for southeastern France, Marion Marechal-Le Pen, right, at the end of associations and other in-
PARIS (AP) — The head a meeting in Paris, France, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015. The head of France’s far-right National Front, terests and “stop, reform or
of France’s far-right Na- Marine Le Pen, in the race for president of the northern region, attends a meeting with regional continue.”
tional Front made a final candidates three days before Sunday’s elections. She and her niece have
push for votes on Thursday, said in the past that they
three days ahead of cru- (AP Photo/Francois Mori) would refuse funding to
cial elections, promising interests representing a
pragmatism over ideology the south, would lose in the well in round one that the the regions and clans and single community, a ref-
in any regions won by her final round. Such an out- governing Socialists, strag- “political fraud” have no erence to Muslim groups.
anti-immigration party and come would be a major gling in third place, place. Both regions have large
assuring there would be no setback for the National ordered their candidates “There will be no political Muslim populations.
witch hunts. Front — and for Marine Le to withdraw so their voters witch hunts in the regions. Earlier Thursday, Le Pen
At a final rally, Le Pen un- Pen’s planned bid for the could cast ballots for the They key word won’t be vowed, if elected to head
derscored the national presidency in 2017. rival conservative main- ideology but pragmatism,” the north, to bring suit
character of the regional The two Le Pens scored so stream to block the far she said in a clear bid to lure against the French state
vote, telling cheering sup- right. voters fearful of an agenda over the situation in Calais,
porters that a new France Le Pen softened her usu- by a party accused by the where thousands of mi-
is within their grasp — and ally trenchant stance in a mainstream of dividing the grants are camped in
inside the ballot box. The reach-out to left and right, French. hopes of reaching Britain.
lead candidates in all 13 saying her party represents But she also said that Na- She claimed on BFM televi-
French regions contesting a new way where “patri- tional Front regions would sion that the port city had
the presidency of leader- ots” respect the interests of “open each file” when deteriorated to the point
ship councils shared the where the mayor was issu-
stage with Le Pen. ing passes to residents to
The anti-immigration Na- get home — a claim the
tional Front led in six regions mayor quickly denied.
in the Dec. 6 first round, The poll of voter intentions
and Le Pen herself led by suggested Marine Le Pen
a wide margin in the north would get 47 percent and
where she is running. her conservative adversary
But a poll by TNS-Sofres- Xavier Bertrand, a former
One Point published labor minister, 53 percent.
Wednesday suggested Marechal-Le Pen, running
that both Le Pen and her in the Provence-Alpes-
niece, Marion Marechal- Cote d’Azur region, would
Le Pen, who is running in take 46 percent of the
vote,
according to the poll,
while her conservative rival
Christian Estrosi would get
54 percent. The online poll
took place two days after
last Sunday’s first round.q
Portugal’s new government makes more cuts
BARRY HATTON of deviations” from the na- In Portugal’s Catholic Uni-
Associated Press tional spending and reve- versity poll, commissioned
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — nue plan. He did not elab- by public broadcaster Ra-
Portugal’s new anti-austeri- orate. The Socialists took diotelevisao Portuguesa
ty Socialist government has power two weeks ago, and other media, 52 per-
hit a snag: it needs to in- heading an anti-austerity cent of those questioned
troduce more cutbacks to alliance in Parliament that thought Passos Coelho
keep its pledge of getting included the Communist ought to be leading the
the budget deficit lower Party and radical Left Bloc country compared with 37
than 3 percent this year, as to unseat a center-right percent for Costa.
demanded by its eurozone government. The Social- But at the same time, 49
partners and creditors. ists have vowed to abide percent of those ques-
Finance Minister Mario by eurozone debt-reduc- tioned said they thought
Centeno said after a Cabi- tion rules while also easing Portugal’s president made
net meeting Thursday the austerity — a balancing the right decision by in-
government is imposing act the government’s crit- stalling Costa, given his
a freeze on non-urgent ics doubt it will be able to creation of a broad anti-
spending through the end pull off. In a blow for Prime austerity alliance, with 35
of the year and cutting 46 Minister Antonio Costa, percent saying they dis-
million euros ($50 million) an opinion poll published agreed. Others didn’t an-
in cash available for some Thursday indicated that swer or didn’t know.
departments. He said the most Portuguese think the The poll of 1,183 adults was
spending crackdown for ousted prime minister, Pe- conducted in person on
the last three weeks of the dro Passos Coelho, should Dec. 5 and 6. It had a mar-
year was due to “a series still be in power. gin of error of 2.9 percent.q
