Bordeaux, France. Far right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen told a political rally on Sunday that the euro currency was like a knife in the ribs of the French people.”We are at the mercy of a currency adapted to Germany and not to our economy. The euro is mostly a knife stuck in our ribs to make us go where others want us to go,” Le Pen said to loud cheers and applause.
The leader of the eurocentric and anti-immigrant National Front (FN) also told the rally in the city of Bordeaux that the forthcoming election for president could herald a “change in civilisation”.
Encouraged by the unexpected election of Donald Trump in the United States and by Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, Le Pen hopes to win from a similar populist momentum in France, opinion polls now suggest she will win the May 7 runoff.
Le Pen runs on a populist platform and says she would curb migration, deport all illegal migrants and restrict certain rights now available to all residents, including free education, to French citizens. A government under Le Pen’s presidency would take France out of the euro zone and bring back a national currency, hold a referendum on its EU membership and slap taxes on imports and on companies hiring foreigners
“The system is panicking because it sees people are waking up,” she said.
The high number of undecided voters means the French election outcome remains unpredictable and motivating people to go to the polling stations will be key for the leading candidates, many thinking most French voters are ready for massive change.
Opinion polls forecast Le Pen will do win in the April 23 first round of the presidential election and further prevail in the May 7 runoff with radical candidate Emmanuel Macron.