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WORLD NEWS Thursday 11 May 2017

Rising political star deals fresh blow to French far-right

By ELAINE GANLEY the making — Macron’s
Associated Press and Le Pen’s. Both say they
PARIS (AP) — The party of are “neither left nor right.”
failed French presiden- On the far left, the Com-
tial candidate Marine Le munist Party and the party
Pen suffered a new jolt on of defeated presidential
Wednesday as her niece, candidate Jean-Luc Me-
the country’s youngest lenchon are messily divorc-
lawmaker and an icon of ing.
the far right, announced They campaigned togeth-
she plans to leave politics. er for Melenchon’s presi-
The decision by Marion dential run that saw him
Marechal-Le Pen, who surge late in the campaign
represents the National and get nearly 20 percent
Front’s conservative flank of the first-round vote, nar-
and core values, kicks an- rowly missing a place in the
other block out from under runoff.
the party, which is looking But they appear increas-
to remake itself and even ingly likely to field candi-
change its name. dates separately in the
That job won’t be done legislative voting.
in time for next month’s Le Pen’s National Front,
elections for parliament — meanwhile, is still dealing
where the National Front with its electoral defeat, Far right National Front party regional leader for southeastern France Marion Marechal-Le Pen
desperately needs a good searching for a road to waves during a press conference in Bayonne, southwestern France. The niece of defeated far-
showing. change, and now this. right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen announced Tuesday, May 9 that she’s leaving
Emmanuel Macron, an National Front founder political life, at least temporarily, citing “personal and political reasons.” Marion Marechal-Le Pen
upstart centrist and the Jean-Marie Le Pen was had been seen as a rising star of the nationalist and anti-immigration National Front party. She is
youngest man elected to outraged by his grand- one of two lawmakers in the outgoing lower house of parliament affiliated with the party.
the presidency, was the daughter’s decision to (AP Photo/Bob Edme)
victor in Sunday’s presiden- bow out. to scrub away traces of new her seat representing 3-year-old daughter and
tial election. “Without the gravest of racism and anti-Semitism the southern Vaucluse dis- her wish to gain “legitima-
France’s Constitutional reasons for this decision, I from the National Front, has trict, or her role as president cy” for a political future by
Council on Wednesday consider it a desertion,” he been an influential force on of the National Front group exiting the orbit they live in.
announced the official re- told the daily Le Figaro. his granddaughter. in the vast regional council. Politicians are “disconnect-
sults from the presidential The elder Le Pen, kicked Marechal-Le Pen, 27, one In a personal message to ed from the real” with a life-
runoff — 20,743,128 votes out of the party by daugh- of two lawmakers repre- her constituents, Marechal- time of political mandates
were cast for Macron and ter Marine for repeatedly senting the far right, said Le Pen cited “personal and no reality checks with
10,638475 for Le Pen. The compromising her efforts she won’t be looking to re- and political reasons,” her life, she said. q
abstention rate was 25.4
percent. Woman shot in terror raid charged with murder plot
Marine Le Pen took com-
fort with the number of By JILL LAWLESS, Associ- known.” Boular, Dich and Police say they disrupted 2012. On March 22, an at-
votes she won, which were ated Press 20-year-old Khawla Bargh- an active terror plot when tacker drove an SUV into
a historic high for her par- LONDON (AP) — A woman outhi were detained April they made the arrests. pedestrians on London’s
ty but about half of Ma- who was shot by officers 27 during police raids in British officials have set the Westminster Bridge, killing
cron’s total. She declared during a raid by counterter- London and nearby Kent threat level from interna- four, before fatally stab-
the National Front would rorism police in London was county. Boular was formally tional terrorism at “severe,” bing a police officer inside
be the main opposition to charged along with her arrested upon her release indicating an attack is Parliament’s gates. He was
Macron’s Republic On the mother Wednesday with from a hospital three days highly likely. shot dead by police.
Move. preparing acts of terrorism after she was shot and in- In an unrelated case that Britain has seen a series of
With a handshake and a and plotting murder. jured. All three are due in also unfolded on April 27, a trials over foiled terrorism
“Mr. President” to his suc- The Metropolitan Police court Thursday. London man was arrested plots since suicide bombers
cessor, Francois Hollande said Rizlaine Boular, 21, and Seven other people who near Parliament carrying killed 52 London commut-
— chief of state until Sun- two other women — one of were arrested as part of the several knives. Khalid Mo- ers on three subway trains
day — signaled the start of them Boular’s mother, Mina same operation, includ- hammed Omar Ali, 27, has and a bus in 2005.
a new era in French poli- Dich, 43 — are accused ing women ages 18 and been charged with prepar- The latest alleged plot is un-
tics where the new power of preparing terrorist acts 19 and a 16-year-old boy, ing terrorist acts this year usual in that those charged
brokers have all but wiped and conspiracy to murder have been released with- and with making or having are all women, and include
away politics as usual in “a person or persons un- out charges. explosives in Afghanistan in a mother and daughter. q
favor of movements still in