PARIS, March 29 (Reuters) – Rassemblement national candidate in France’s presidential election, Marine Le Pen, told Reuters on Tuesday that she was “reaching out” to her niece Marion Maréchal, who chose the camp of founder of Reconquête Eric Zemmour, what his aunt considers a “mess”.
“She made the choice to join Eric Zemmour. I regret it. I think it’s a mess,” said Marine Le Pen during an interview at her campaign headquarters.
“But I dare to hope that she will manage to bounce back afterwards,” she added. “I hope she realizes that she was wrong and that she will come back to fight with those who have the effective, immediate capacity to act.”
Asked if she held out her hand to him, Marine Le Pen replied: “Of course. But I hold out my hand to all patriots (…) Whether they come from the right, whether they come from the left. I want to form a government of national unity. I want us all to come together to say, ‘Here is the Nation, it is the most protective framework. How do we do to preserve this Nation, to to strengthen it and to restore to the sovereign people control of their destiny.'”
During a meeting at the Trocadero on Sunday, Eric Zemmour described Marine Le Pen’s economic program as “socialist” and invited certain right-wing leaders to join him, including the president of the National Rally, Jordan Bardella.
“NEVER SAY NEVER” IN POLITICS
“Comments from the podium” from a candidate who has “a dated vision of France, but also a dated vision of French political life”, reacted Marine Le Pen.
“It’s all nonsense. It’s talk from the podium,” she said.
“In fact, he is the counterpart of Jean-Luc Mélenchon”, she continued in reference to the candidate of the Popular Union, who hopes like her to reach the second round. “They both dream of recreating this left-right divide that I think has actually disappeared over time.”
This divide has, according to her, been replaced by that “between the globalists and the nationals”.
Asked about her political future, Marine Le Pen did not rule out the idea of another candidacy for the supreme magistracy, believing that one should “never say never” in the matter.
“First I still put myself in a situation of winning,” said the candidate, who is also a member of Pas-de-Calais. “I say ‘a priori yes I will not be a candidate again’. But you know, in politics, you should never say never. And sometimes History has more imagination than us. But I also said that I will always be there to fight alongside the French people. I don’t know in what position, I don’t know in what mandate, I don’t know what responsibility. Where, a priori, I will be the most effective.”
As the first round of voting approaches, on April 10, polling institutes announce Marine Le Pen as a finalist alongside outgoing President Emmanuel Macron, whose lead is crumbling. (Report Elizabeth Pineau and Michel Rose, edited by Matthieu Protard)