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France presidential polls: Marine Le Pen steps aside as FN leader

by IBNS 24 Apr 2017, 09:31 pm

Paris, Apr 25 (IBNS): Following her advancement to the second round of presidential polls in France, far right leader Marine Le Pen has announced that she is stepping aside from the National Front (FN) party leadership, reports said.

Le Pen was quoted in the media as saying that she was no longer the National Front party president but just a candidate for the presidential polls.

Le Pen is expected to finish second as centrist leader Emmanuel Macron is likely to capture Elysee Palace.

Meanwhile, Macron, 39, who won 24 percent of the votes compared to Le Pen's 21.3 percent on Sunday, will become the youngest president of France if he manages to win the run-off polls on May 7.

Macron also has the support of French President Francois Hollande to go with support from two other defeated candidates, Francois Fillon and Benoit Hamon.