National Rally: France's Far-right Approve Name Change
Rukhshan Mir (@rukhshanmir) Published June 02, 2018 | 01:00 AM
Lyon, June 1 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Jun, 2018 ) :France's far-right National Front, trying to shake off its reputation for racism that has tinged the party for decades, approved a name change Friday as it seeks new momentum under leader Marine Le Pen.
Party members backed the scrapping of the National Front name in favour of National Rally at a congress in Lyon, southeast France.
"Homage to the National Front, long live the National Rally," Le Pen said to gathered activists, who voted 81 percent in favour of the new name, with a 53 percent turnout.
In a nod to the 48 percent of members who opposed a rebranding in a survey last year, the party kept its distinctive flame logo -- which Le Pen's father and party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen borrowed from the neo-fascist Italian Social Movement, one of his main inspirations.
Le Pen said the name change "closes a chapter in the history of our national movement which opened a little more than 45 years ago, but it is better to open another one which, I believe, will be no less glorious".
Referencing Italy's new anti-establishment government, she said people in Europe are "waking up", adding the populist coalition was a "reason for hope".
Le Pen is aiming to draw voters who back her conservative, anti-immigrant and eurosceptic agenda but who might have been turned off by the more incendiary views of her father.
Marine had already kept the Le Pen name off her campaign posters last year, and even her niece Marion Marechal, seen as a rising rightwing star, has stopped using the Le Pen name.
Jean-Marie Le Pen was eventually kicked out by his daughter over his repeated anti-Semitic comments, part of her efforts to portray the party as a mainstream and viable governing force.
Yet Marine has struggled to regain her footing since a stinging defeat by Emmanuel Macron last year, despite winning 34 percent of the vote -- a record for her party.
She has faced financing problems as well as criminal charges for tweeting pictures of Islamic State atrocities and over the alleged misuse of European Parliament expense funds.
More recently she has been trying to win over leaders of other rightwing groups ahead of European Parliament elections next year, so far without success.
Even some party lawmakers have abandoned her, including MEP Bernard Monot, who quit Thursday criticising the focus on only "security, the fight against terrorism and immigration".
Recent Stories
FM Dar not traveling to China: Foreign Office
PM takes notice of deliberate delay in tax cases
Iranian President visits Allama Iqbal’s mausoleum
Iranian President arrives in Lahore today
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 23 April 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 23 April 2024
Islam enlightened world with its teachings about knowledge: Dr Jamileh
Record London close as oil prices drop on easing Middle East fears
TV tower in Kharkiv struck as Russia captured village
LCCI language courses from May 1
Governor for service oriented governance in Punjab
Survivors tell of panic at C.Africa river boat disaster
More Stories From World
-
Five migrants die attempting Channel crossing: French police source
9 minutes ago -
Migrant detentions set to begin after parliament passes UK-Rwanda plan
28 minutes ago -
China slams US claims it is fuelling Ukraine war
29 minutes ago -
More than 50,000 displaced by clashes in northern Ethiopia: UN
39 minutes ago -
N. Korea's Kim oversees 'nuclear counterattack' drill
49 minutes ago -
Council of Europe calls on UK to scrap Rwanda migrant plan
59 minutes ago
-
China's manufacturing powerhouse sees foreign trade growth in Q1
1 hour ago -
Nearly 82 percent Chinese have reading habit: survey
1 hour ago -
Malaysia military helicopters crash, killing 10 crew
1 hour ago -
Musk lashes Australian order demanding X remove stabbing videos
1 hour ago -
Shenzhen issues red alert for rainstorm
1 hour ago -
Chinese police launch campaign to hunt down economic fugitives abroad
1 hour ago