Marine Le Pen - why she could be the next French President
Villeneuve-sur Yonne is Marine Le Pen territory - a provincial town a couple of hours south of Paris. There, we speak to people about why they'll be voting for her.
In the 2017 election, Emmanuel Macron defeated Marine Le Pen by a huge majority to become France's next president. Fast forward to 2022 and the polls suggest it's a much closer contest this time around. The policies Le Pen embraces are no less radical than before on immigration, nationality and Islam. Emmanuel Macron says her programme is racist - the old anti-immigrant and authoritarian law-and-order measures of her father's old party are largely unaltered. But Le Pen has worked hard to soften her image - using the time during the pandemic to become a cat-breeder.
'Marine', as her supporters affectionately call her, has been on a journey, taking France's far right to within touching distance of the presidency. For 5 Minutes On, the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ's Paris Correspondent, Hugh Schofield, heads to Villeneuve-sur Yonne - a couple of hours south of the capital - where Le Pen enjoys strong support. There, he hears what it is that's attracting people to the woman who could become France's next leader.
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