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Leaders of France s right-wing National Front (FN) party, longdismissed as dangerous extremists, may finally be realizing theirdream of becoming a major force in national politics. Marine Le Pen, the FN presidential candidate and daughter of theparty s founder, drew 18 percent in the first round of voting onApril 22. That wasn t enough to advance her to the second votinground on May 6, but the surprising breadth of her support poseschallenges for both President Nicolas Sarkozy and his Socialistopponent, Fran0`4ois Hollande. Le Pen has appealed to voters anger over a stagnant economy andtheir fears about crime and immigration. Unhappiness was directedas much against the Socialists as against Sarkozy s conservativeUnion for a Popular Movement (UMP). I used to be a Socialist, says Jean-Marc Rouvi re, a policeofficer and labor-union activist in the Ard che region insoutheastern France, who supported Le Pen. Rouvi re faultsSarkozy s stewardship of the economy: Look at Greece andSpain, he says. We re rapidly following them. He also saysthe Socialists are too soft on crime and immigration policy. We,the police, see this every day, he says. Rouvi re says he ll abstain from voting in the second round;polls taken in the past few days indicate that from 21 percent to23 percent of Le Pen voters will do likewise. The same polls showthat no more than 57 percent of Le Pen voters will support Sarkozy,while as many as 27 percent will back Hollande. Le Pen has said shewon t tell her supporters how they should vote. Sarkozy, who placed second behind Hollande in the first round,needs a strong majority of Le Pen voters to back him if he is towin the second round. He wasted no time in reaching out to them. I see [their] vote as a cry of suffering, as an expression ofrebellion, he said on Monday. The problem is that many inSarkozy s own party as well as backers of the moderate Fran0`4oisBayrou whom he is also trying to woo view the FN with alarm. One of their biggest fears is that a resurgent FN will cripple theUMP s chances in legislative elections on June 10 and 17. The FNcurrently holds no seats in Parliament and isn t likely to winmany. But they are going to create problems everywhere bydraining away support from conservative UMP candidates and allowingSocialists to win more seats, says Nonna Mayer, a researcher at theInstitute of Political Studies in Paris, known as Sciences Po. SomeFN leaders have said openly that they plan to vote for Hollande inhopes of crippling the UMP, opening the way for their party tobecome the dominant voice on the French right. Le Pen s appeal also presents problems for the Socialists.Hollande has attributed the FN s strong showing to publicunhappiness over austerity measures. That seems unlikely, sinceFrance so far has implemented few spending cuts. Rather, Le Penpicked up support primarily in regions particularly hard-hit byeconomic stagnation and high unemployment. Many of these areas aretraditionally Socialist. Indeed, Le Pen seems to be chipping away at the Socialist base. AnApril 22 poll by the CSA survey group showed that her supporterswere heavily working-class, whereas Hollande s were split evenlyamong professionals, blue-collar workers, and retirees. Le Pen, asingle mother with a softer, more telegenic style than that of herfather, Jean-Marie Le Pen, also drew support from an estimated 27percent of working-class women. That s a big contrast with pastelections, when FN support was overwhelmingly male. The vote for Marine Le Pen was not simply a protest, researcherMayer says. These voters absolutely support her ideas. Thoseideas include not only the FN s longstanding call to restrictimmigration, but also conservative positions on social issues,Mayer says. Some 70 percent of Le Pen supporters, for example,favor restoring the death penalty in France, compared with only 30percent among all voters nationwide. Le Pen may have lost the election, but Sarkozy and Hollande can tafford to ignore her. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Automotive Diagnostic Software , China Car Key Programmer, and more. For more , please visit Odometer Correction Tool today!
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