We usually don’t talk about politics on the Sama Gazette. Not that we are not interested in politics but we think ‘politics‘ has a wider meaning than just the elections and power. A few days ago,  French politician Marine Le Pen and the National Front, the French far-right, nationalist political party, performed more than well in local elections…

Here is an extract of the article posted on The Guardian by Angelique Chrisafis:

Le Pen, or simply “Marine” as the nation casually calls her, has sparked the biggest political panic attack France has seen for a decade. The “Marine effect” on Monday brought a historic 15% for the Front National in the first round of local elections, striking fear into both left and right for this week’s second round. The 42-year-old, twice-divorced, mother-of-three is so popular that several polls show her topping next year’s French presidential first round and sailing through to the final round run-off. She is on a crusade to “soften” her party and strip away the old overtones of racist, antisemitic extremists while defending the core of her father’s nationalism, and courting a new white-collar electorate fearful of crime, immigration, Muslims and losing their jobs.

A few years ago,  the French far-right, nationalist political party wasn’t considered at all. Now, the National Front is a party like any other, and its performance during the first round of local elections in France is a sign Le Pen’s goal to normalise the party’s image worked. Now she wants to come to power to implement its ideas…

C’est la vie in France and sometimes we wish it were not.