PARIS: French far-right leader Marine Le Pen opened the door on Saturday to cooperating with candidates from the embattled conservative UMP party in next month’s legislative elections, but continued to rule out an alliance.
Le Pen, who won nearly one in five votes in last month’s first round of the presidential election, said the National Front would consider striking deals not to run against UMP candidates on a case-by-case basis in the two-round election on June 10 and 17.
Outgoing President Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP party is increasingly divided over how to deal with the National Front heading into the legislative election after his loss in a presidential runoff on Sunday to Socialist Francois Hollande.
Building on momentum from Le Pen’s strong showing in the first round of the presidential race, the National Front could split right-wing voters in the legislative election where far-right and UMP candidates are in the running against a Socialist candidate.
If candidates receive more than 12.5 percent of the vote in the first round, they move on to the second. Were the National Front, Socialists and UMP all to qualify, the ensuing three-way contest would be won by a simple majority. (PTI)