Marine Le Pen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marine Le Pen
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Le Pen in 2025
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| Leader of the National Rally in the French National Assembly |
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| Assumed office 28 June 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Office established |
| Member of the National Assembly for Pas-de-Calais's 11th constituency |
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| Assumed office 18 June 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Philippe Kemel |
| President of the National Rally | |
| In office 16 January 2011 – 12 September 2021 |
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| Vice President | Alain Jamet Louis Aliot Marie-Christine Arnautu Jean-François Jalkh Florian Philippot Steeve Briois Jordan Bardella |
| Preceded by | Jean-Marie Le Pen |
| Succeeded by | Jordan Bardella |
| Chair of the Europe of Nations and Freedom group | |
| In office 15 June 2015 – 19 June 2017 Serving with Marcel de Graaff
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| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Nicolas Bay |
| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 14 July 2009 – 18 June 2017 |
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| Constituency | North-West France |
| In office 20 July 2004 – 13 July 2009 |
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| Constituency | Île-de-France |
| Regional Councillor | |
| In office 4 January 2016 – 2 July 2021 |
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| Constituency | Hauts-de-France |
| In office 26 March 2010 – 13 December 2015 |
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| Constituency | Nord-Pas-de-Calais |
| In office 28 March 2004 – 21 March 2010 |
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| Constituency | Île-de-France |
| In office 21 March 1998 – 28 March 2004 |
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| Constituency | Nord-Pas-de-Calais |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Marion Anne Perrine Le Pen
5 August 1968 Neuilly-sur-Seine, France |
| Political party | RN (since 1986) |
| Spouses |
Franck Chauffroy
(m. 1995; div. 2000)Eric Lorio
(m. 2002; div. 2006) |
| Domestic partner | Louis Aliot (2009–2019) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parents |
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| Relatives | Marie-Caroline Le Pen (sister) Marion Maréchal (niece) Philippe Olivier (brother-in-law) Jordan Bardella (nephew-in-law) Vincenzo Sofo (nephew-in-law) |
| Alma mater | Panthéon-Assas University (LLM, DEA) |
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Marine Le Pen (born 5 August 1968) is a French lawyer and politician. She has run for the French presidency three times: in 2012, 2017, and 2022.
She is a member of the National Rally (RN) political party. This party was previously known as the National Front (FN). Marine Le Pen was the president of this party from 2011 to 2021.
Since 2017, she has been a member of the National Assembly for the 11th constituency of Pas-de-Calais. She is currently the leader of the National Rally's group in the Assembly. She has held this position since June 2022.
Time magazine named Le Pen one of the 100 most influential people in the world in both 2011 and 2015. In 2016, Politico ranked her as the second-most influential Member of the European Parliament (MEP).
Early Life and Education
Growing Up in France
Marine Le Pen was born Marion Anne Perrine Le Pen on 5 August 1968. She was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. She is the youngest of three daughters. Her father was Jean-Marie Le Pen, a politician. Her mother was Pierrette Le Pen.
When Marine was eight years old, an explosion happened near her family's apartment. The family was unharmed. Her mother left the family in 1984 when Marine was 16. Her parents divorced in 1987.
Studying Law and Becoming a Lawyer
Marine Le Pen studied law at Panthéon-Assas University. She earned a Master of Laws degree in 1991. She also earned a Master of Advanced Studies in criminal law in 1992.
She worked as a lawyer for six years, from 1992 to 1998. She often worked as a public defender in Paris. In 1998, she joined the legal team of the National Front party.
Her Family Life
Marine Le Pen was raised Roman Catholic. In 1995, she married Franck Chauffroy. They had three children together: Jehanne, Louis, and Mathilde. They divorced in 2000. In 2002, she married Eric Lorio. They divorced in 2006.
From 2009 to 2019, she was in a relationship with Louis Aliot. He was also a politician in the National Front party. She lives in La Celle-Saint-Cloud with her three children.
Beginning Her Political Career
Joining the National Front Party
Marine Le Pen joined the National Front (FN) party in 1986 when she was 18. Her first political role was in 1988. She was elected as a Regional Councillor for Nord-Pas-de-Calais. In the same year, she started working for the FN's legal branch. She led this branch until 2003.
In 2000, she became the president of Generations Le Pen. This group worked to improve the image of the National Front. She became a member of the FN Executive Committee in 2000. In 2003, she became the party's vice-president.
In 2006, she helped manage her father's presidential campaign. In 2007, she became one of the two executive vice-presidents of the FN. She was in charge of training, communication, and publicity.
Campaigning for Party Leadership
In 2010, Marine Le Pen announced she wanted to become the leader of the FN. She hoped to make the party "a big popular party" for all French people.
She started her leadership campaign on 3 September 2010. She traveled across France, meeting with party members. She said her goal was to make the National Front the main party for all French citizens. She believed the FN leader should be the party's candidate for the 2012 presidential election.
Her father and many other senior party members supported her. On 16 January 2011, Marine Le Pen was elected as the new president of the FN. She won with 67.65% of the votes. Her father became the honorary chairman.
Changing the Party's Image
Marine Le Pen worked to change the image of her party. This effort is called "de-demonisation." She wanted to move the party away from the extreme views linked to her father. Her goal was to make the party more appealing to voters.
She changed some of the party's policies and replaced some staff. In 2015, she even removed her own father from the party. She also avoided talking about World War II or French colonial wars in her speeches. This showed a difference from her father's views.
Despite these efforts, the National Front and Marine Le Pen still face criticism.
Leading the National Front (2011-2022)
First Steps as a New Leader
As president of the National Front, Marine Le Pen became a key member of the party's main committees.
In her first speech as leader in January 2011, she spoke about strengthening the French nation. She also supported direct democracy, where citizens have more say in decisions. She talked about a strong and effective state that supports secularism, prosperity, and freedom. She also criticized the "Europe of Brussels," saying it promoted policies that hurt public services and jobs.
On 1 May 2011, she gave her first major speech to 3,000 supporters. In September 2011, she returned to politics with the theme "the voice of people, the spirit of France." She spoke about immigration, safety, the economy, and the need for a strong state. She also opposed the idea of giving foreigners the right to vote. She often held press conferences on various political issues.
First Presidential Campaign (2011–2012)
On 16 May 2011, the FN Executive Committee approved Marine Le Pen's plan to run for president. She officially launched her campaign in September 2011.
In the first round of the election on 22 April 2012, she received 17.90% of the votes. She finished in third place, behind François Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy. This was a better result than her father had achieved in the 2002 election.
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Le Pen came in first place in some areas, like Gard and her hometown of Hénin-Beaumont. She generally received more votes in eastern France. She received fewer votes in western France and in large cities like Paris.
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On 1 May 2012, she chose not to support either Sarkozy or Hollande in the second round of the election.
Second Presidential Campaign (2016–2017)
Marine Le Pen announced her candidacy for the 2017 French presidential election on 8 April 2016.
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She launched her campaign in February 2017 in Lyon. She promised a vote on France's membership in the European Union if she could not achieve her goals for the country. Her first TV appearance for the campaign had very high viewing figures. Her 2017 campaign used a blue rose as a symbol, aiming for a softer image.
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In the first round of the election on 23 April 2017, Le Pen won 21.3% of the votes. She came in second place, behind Emmanuel Macron. This meant they would face each other in the second round. The day after the first round, Le Pen announced she would temporarily step down as FN leader. She said she wanted to unite voters.
She described the second round as a "referendum for or against France." She tried to get support from voters who had supported the far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
On 7 May, she lost to Emmanuel Macron. Her vote share was 33.9%. She immediately announced a "full transformation" of the FN.
On 18 May 2017, Le Pen announced she would run in the parliamentary elections. She ran in the Pas-de-Calais's 11th constituency. She won the second round with almost 58% of the votes. She then became a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the National Assembly. She resigned from her role as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).
By 2019, reports said Le Pen no longer wanted France to leave the European Union or the euro currency. Instead, she and her party aimed to change the EU from within, working with allied parties.
On 4 July 2021, she was re-elected to lead the National Rally without any opposition.
Third Presidential Campaign and Legislative Election (2022)
In January 2020, Le Pen announced she would run for president again in the 2022 election. Her campaign officially started on 15 January 2022.
In February 2022, a Senator from her party, Stéphane Ravier, publicly supported her rival, Éric Zemmour.
In the first round of the election, Le Pen came in second place with 23.15% of the votes. She then took part in a televised debate against Macron. She was defeated by Emmanuel Macron in the second round on 24 April. She received 41.45% of the votes. This was the highest vote share for a nationalist candidate in French history.
Her presidential campaign received a loan from a Hungarian bank. This bank was chaired by Lőrinc Mészáros, an ally of Viktor Orban.
Soon after, during the 2022 French legislative election, she led her party to win its highest number of seats in the National Assembly. The National Rally became the largest opposition party in Parliament. Days later, she was chosen as the leader of the parliamentary National Rally party in the Assembly. She still holds this position.
Stepping Down from Party Leadership
In November 2022, Marine Le Pen stepped down from chairing the National Rally party. She was replaced by Jordan Bardella. He had previously served as the party's temporary leader during her presidential campaign.
Marine Le Pen's Political Views
Immigration and Society
Marine Le Pen and the National Rally believe in strict rules for immigration. They think that multiculturalism has not worked well. They also support the "de-Islamisation" of French society. Le Pen has called for a pause on legal immigration. She wants to change laws that allow illegal immigrants to become legal residents. She also argues that benefits for immigrants should be reduced.
After the European migrant crisis, she called for France to leave the Schengen Area. This would mean France would bring back its border controls.
Economic Ideas
On energy, Le Pen supports energy independence for France. She strongly supports nuclear and hydroelectric power. Le Pen is against wind energy. She believes it is unreliable and harms the landscape. She wants to stop new wind energy projects and eventually remove existing wind turbines.
Le Pen supports protectionism instead of free trade. This means she wants to protect French industries. She also supports economic nationalism. She is against the privatization of public services and social security. She also opposes speculation in international markets.
Le Pen is against globalization. She blames it for many economic problems. She also opposes the idea of a very strong European Union government. Instead, she prefers a loose group of independent nations in Europe. As of 2019, she no longer wants France to leave the EU or the euro currency. She had previously called for both. She has spoken out against the Treaty of Lisbon. She also opposes EU membership for Turkey and Ukraine. Le Pen has also said she wants France to leave NATO and the US sphere of influence.
Other Views
Marine Le Pen often says she is a feminist. She believes in defending women's rights and improving women's lives. However, she criticizes what she calls "neo-feminism." She sees this as women fighting against men.
Political Roles and Positions
Local Government Roles
- Regional Councillor of Nord-Pas-de-Calais: (1998–2004); also since 2010.
- Regional Councillor of Île-de-France (2004–2010).
- Municipal Councillor of Hénin-Beaumont (2008–2011).
European Parliament Roles
- Member of the European Parliament for Île-de-France (2004–2009).
- Member of the Committee on Culture and Education and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.
- Member of the European Parliament for North-West France (2009–2017).
- Member of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs.
See also
In Spanish: Marine Le Pen para niños
