French Right-wing Leader Marine Le Pen Distances Herself From Germany's AfD

The politician has also noticeably toned down her rhetoric.

The leader of the French far-right party "National Rally" Marine Le Pen continues to distance herself from the German far-right party “Alternative for Germany” (AfD) following its victory in regional elections in one of the eastern states, reports Financial Times.

Instead of celebrating the breakthrough of a party that holds similar views on immigration and national identity, representatives of the French far right emphasized that the “National Rally” is not “Alternative for Germany” (AfD).

A senior lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy criticized the AfD for justifying Germany’s Nazi past, and its voters for the party’s historic victory in the elections in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.

“This shocks me because they voted for people who downplay the significance of Germany’s Nazi past, who claim that it’s possible to be a member of the SS and still not be a bad person. This is outrageous,” he said.

But voters supported the AfD not because “they are Nazis themselves,” he added, but because “they can no longer afford to pay their electricity bills.”

Le Pen herself has remained conspicuously silent, the FT reports, while U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed approval of the far-right’s victory in Germany.

Le Pen, who is leading in opinion polls ahead of the April presidential election, has distanced herself from the AfD, as her main campaign strategy is based on convincing voters that: the RN is a political force that can be trusted with power, the article states. Recently, the politician has softened some of her positions, particularly regarding the EU. She no longer calls for France to leave the bloc or abandon the euro, but instead argues that the European Union should be reformed from within.

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