Wednesday, March 18, 2015

France's far-right sparks hope and fear ahead of election

Noyon (France) (AFP) - "She's my queen!" gushes Patricia, waiting for the arrival of Marine Le Pen, leader of France's far-right National Front.

"Marine represents everything the people of France want. I don't know what to say –- she's wonderful, magnificent."

The excited 60-year-old is standing outside a community centre in the non-descript little town of Noyon deep in the northern plains of Picardy.

As France heads into local elections this weekend, Le Pen boasts the sort of adulation of which the political mainstream -- the ruling Socialists and the right-wing opposition UMP -- can only dream .... http://news.yahoo.com