The National Rally party, led by Marine Le Pen, could potentially emerge victorious in today's parliamentary elections in France on July 8. Le Pen has gained notoriety for her controversial remarks regarding Ukraine and her support for Russian leader Vladimir Putin's policies
Marine Le Pen, the current leader of the National Rally party (formerly the National Front), is 55 years old and was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. She is the daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, a well-known far-right politician who was known for his controversial views and statements. Jean-Marie Le Pen fought against the independence of France's colonies in Algeria and Vietnam while serving in the Foreign Legion. After World War II, he made ambiguous remarks about Nazi Germany's policies, for which he was accused of anti-Semitism and spreading neo-Nazi ideology.
The National Front as an Inheritance: Le Pen's Political Career
Marine Le Pen inherited the leadership of the National Front party from her father, who founded the party in 1972. She has been the party's president since 2011 and has worked to rebrand the party, moving it away from the more extreme right-wing positions it held under her father's leadership. However, the party's nationalist and Eurosceptic views remain a core part of its platform.
Le Pen's Attitude Towards the War in Ukraine
Marine Le Pen has taken a nuanced stance on the war in Ukraine. While she has condemned Russia's invasion, she has also been critical of NATO's expansion and the sanctions imposed on Russia, arguing that they have had negative consequences for the French economy. Le Pen has called for a more "balanced" approach to the conflict, seeking to maintain channels of communication with Russia while also supporting Ukraine.
During Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, representatives from Le Pen's party served as observers for the disputed referendum held in the region. Le Pen stated, "In my opinion, the results of the referendum are not in dispute. It was expected. And the people of Crimea, who lived in fear, rushed into the arms of the country they came from because you know that Crimea has been part of Ukraine for only 60 years."
In the spring of 2014, Marine Le Pen voiced her support for the Luhansk People's Republic separatists and claimed that she shared the same values as Putin. She also advocated for Ukraine to be federalized.
Furthermore, Le Pen called on Europe to refrain from imposing sanctions against Russia and to stop viewing Russia as an adver y, arguing that it was Europe that was contributing to the escalation of tensions in Ukraine.
Elections in France: What Le Pen Might Do if Elected
Le Pen has run for the French presidency multiple times, most recently in 2022, when she lost to incumbent Emmanuel Macron. If she were to win a future election, Le Pen has stated that she would seek to renegotiate France's relationship with the European Union, potentially holding a referendum on France's EU membership. She has also expressed a desire to improve relations with Russia, though she has stopped short of calling for the lifting of sanctions.
Marine Le Pen was the youngest daughter in the Le Pen family. Like her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, she received a law degree, graduating from the Paris-Panthéon-Assas University with a master's degree in law in 1990 and a master's degree in criminal law in 1991. In 1992, she obtained her lawyer's certificate and worked as a lawyer in Paris until 1998.
Marine Le Pen's political career began in 1972 when her father founded the far-right National Front party and she joined the party at the age of 18. She has served as the party's vice president since 2003. Under Jean-Marie Le Pen's leadership, the National Front's program focused on restrictive immigration policies, reinstating the death penalty, and conscription. Jean-Marie Le Pen was also a Eurosceptic who advocated for limiting France's participation in the European Union.
In the years following, Marine Le Pen was elected to municipal and regional councils, and she served as a member of the European Parliament from 2004 to 2017. Thus, Marine Le Pen's political career has been shaped by her close ties to the National Front, which she inherited from her father's leadership of the party over several decades.
Le Pen condemned Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
By invading Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Russia provoked a war on the doorstep of the EU and a geopolitical crisis that is undoubtedly the most dramatic in the last twenty years. The politician expressed respect and support for the Ukrainian people under attack.
At the beginning of the large-scale war, the politician supported Ukraine's accession to NATO. They stated, "I believe in the sovereignty of nations: if Ukraine wants to join NATO, if that is their will, I don't see who can oppose it."
In April 2023, the politician said that Russia's victory in the war would be a disaster, but if Ukraine won, "World War III would begin." According to them, if Western countries continue to slowly supply weapons to Ukraine, they will face a "new Hundred Years' War."
Le Pen supported Russia's annexation of Crimea
During the preparations for the signing of the bilateral security agreement between Ukraine and France in 2024, Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Rally party in France, opposed the agreement and criticized Ukraine's path towards NATO and the European Union.
In Le Pen's view, the security agreement contained "red lines" provisions for her party and millions of French people, as it threatened to escalate the conflict. Specifically, she objected to the agreement's support for Ukraine's potential accession to the EU and NATO, as well as the principle of "active deterrence" against Russia.
Le Pen asserted that Russia's war against Ukraine "will inevitably end in negotiations," and argued that the goal of France and its allies should be to ensure that "when the time comes, Ukraine is in the most favorable situation to restore its territorial integrity." This suggested her preference for a negotiated settlement over Ukraine's further integration with Western institutions.
Overall, Le Pen's opposition reflected her party's skepticism towards Ukraine's Western orientation and her desire to avoid any escalation of the conflict through security commitments that could draw France deeper into the war.
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