France: Le Pen’s MEP joins Zemour’s camp

A French MEP today left the National Alarm, Marine Le Pen’s far-right party, to join the ranks of far-right presidential candidate Eric Zemour, saying he thought Le Pen had no chance of winning the Apri election.

Zemour, a young man in French politics, has seen his campaign weaken in recent weeks, following an initial rapid rise in opinion polls.

He is currently in fourth place, behind center-right President Emanuel Macron, conservative Valerie Pecres and Le Pen.

The fact that MEP Jerome Riviere has joined Zemour’s camp and will support him following a similar move by a Conservative MP earlier this month may help Zemour boost his candidacy and claim that only he can join the far right with the more mainstream conservatives, a stance that Riviere himself embraces.

“Marin Le Pen is unable to win. She will never be able to rally conservatives and populists,” Riviere told Reuters, calling the “common front” formed by many parties and voters around the National Alarm “unfair.” which often ends up isolated.

“Eric Zemour can do it. He is the only one who can radically change the political scene in France so that … the ideas of right-wing voters can win,” he added.

Riviere, who is stepping down as head of the National Alarm team in the European Parliament, has said he expects more MEPs to side with Zemour.

The National Alarm countered Riviere’s move with Le Pen’s campaign deputy director, Jean-Philippe Tangier, telling Le Figaro newspaper that it was quite expected.

Source: AMPE