France’s Marine Le Pen to defend her seat in June legislative elections

PARIS (Reuters) – French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who lost to President Emmanuel Macron in presidential elections on Sunday, will defend her seat in parliamentary elections in June, an official of her party said on Tuesday.

National Rally (RN) deputy president Louis Aliot said on CNEWS television that Le Pen would stand as a candidate in the vote on June 12 and 19.

“She will at any rate be a candidate in the parliamentary elections,” Aliot said, adding that Le Pen today incarnates the main opposition to Macron.

He added that the party would aim to get at least 15 seats, which would allow the RN to form a group in parliament. In the 2017 election, Le Pen’s party won eight seats.

(Reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)