Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French far-right, said she won’t try to push out President Macron if she wins the snap parliamentary election that begins later this month. “I’m respectful of institutions, and I’m not calling for institutional chaos,” Le Pen told Le Figaro newspaper. “There will simply be cohabitation.”
Le Pen is seeking to appeal to mainstream voters as she aims to cement a majority in the next parliament.Her group, the National Rally, is already on track to become the biggest party, a prospect which has caused alarm among investors and France’s international partners. Le Pen said that if she can form a majority – either with National Rally lawmakers alone, or with allies – she would lead her party’s parliamentary caucus and 28-year-old party leader Jordan Bardella will become PM. The two-round election concludes on July 7.
Le Pen’s party is on course to win as many as 270 of the 577 seats in the National Assembly, according to a projection by pollster Elabe, with 289 required for an absolute majority. Macron and his allies are projected to win between 90 and 130.