The Latest: Le Pen sees French presidential vote 'surprise'

The Latest: Le Pen sees French presidential vote 'surprise'


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PARIS (AP) — The latest on the French presidential runoff on May 7 (all times local):

11:30 p.m.

Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen says there could be a "very big surprise" when the French cast their ballots May 7 in the final round to choose a new leader, and she wins.

Le Pen said on TF1 TV on Tuesday that "there is a revolt of the people against the elite" seen in Britain's Brexit vote and in the election of U.S. President Donald Trump.

For Le Pen, her rival in the election, independent centrist Emmanuel Macron, is part of the elite, which she calls the "oligarchy."

Le Pen wants to pull France out of the European Union, which Macron wants to strengthen. She also wants to drastically cut immigration.

She contends Macron's plan for France amounts to "fratricide" because, she says, it pits people and companies against each other, with the strongest winning.

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1:50 p.m.

The father of far-right candidate Marine Le Pen says he thinks his daughter has produced a "too laid-back" campaign in the French presidential race.

Jean-Marie Pen told France Inter radio on Tuesday that he would have done a "Trump-style" campaign that would have been "very aggressive against those who are responsible for the country's decadency."

Jean-Marie Le Pen, who repeatedly has been convicted of crimes based on anti-Semitism and racism, founded the far-right National Front party that his daughter Marine now leads.

He still supports her candidacy in the presidential runoff on May 7 against centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron but he and his daughter have had strong political disagreements along the way.

In 2015, Marine pushed him out of the party because he had refused to desist from anti-Semitic provocations that were undermining her bid to make the National Front an acceptable political alternative.

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9:30 a.m.

French far-right presidential contender Marine Le Pen has called for more food to be produced and consumed in the country.

Le Pen, visiting the Rungis wholesale market outside Paris on Tuesday, said the French government must promote meat from France.

She says: "Let's promote the 'eating French' especially in (school) canteens where our children must take advantage of healthy, quality products."

Le Pen was booed by some workers in the fruits and vegetables section.

The National Front leader is facing pro-European centrist Emmanuel Macron in the May 7 presidential runoff.

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