Marion Maréchal-Le Pen Biography

Marion Jeanne Caroline Maréchal-Le Pen is a French politician who served as an MP for Vaucluse's 3rd constituency from 2012 to 2017. A granddaughter of Front National (FN) party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, and niece of presidential contender Marine Le Pen, she became a member of FN at the age of 22—France's youngest MP in modern political history—and quickly became the face of FN. Marechal-Le Pen, a hard-line politician seen more as a political firebrand than her aunt, had made efforts to attract a broader range of voters with focus on social policies. Marechal-Le Pen clashed with her aunt Le Pen on issues like the euro, abortion rights, and economic protectionism. Le Pen had also stated that if she had won the presidential elections, she would not have given Marechal-Le Pen a position in her government, as she was "too young." Marechal-Le Pen was considered to be a leader of the traditionalist and Catholic party faction. She defended the French culture—their Christian roots, Latin roots and Greek roots. She was extremely popular in the country's southeast, and among the young voters. Stephen K. Bannon, US President Trump's chief strategist, had described her a “rising star.” Although she was seen as a future leader of the FN, she quit politics in May 2017, and refused to renew her mandate as a deputy or a regional councilor of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. She also expressed her desire to gain experience in business.