PARIS (Reuters) - Far-right presidential challenger Marine Le Pen on Sunday hinted that her third run for the Elysee palace may be the last if she were unsuccessful, in an interview with French weekly newspaper Journal du Dimanche.
Le Pen, who ran in 2012 and in 2017 made the second round runoff only to be defeated by French President Emmanuel Macron, said that in the event of defeat, she would look for a role where she would be most useful.
"“At this stage, I don’t think I would run, but I would continue to do what I have done for years, that is to defend French people. I don’t know from what position, but one where I would be the most effective,” said the candidate.
Le Pen defended her past overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which have put her on the defensive since the invasion of Ukraine, citing the relationships that past French presidents had with him.
She added, “Vladimir Putin reestablished Russian power after 70 years of Soviet terror and it would be suicidal to let Russia ally itself to China in the long term.”
Opinion polls again put Macron and Le Pen as the likely two candidates to make it through to the last round in the 2022 election, with Macron seen as the eventual winner.
The far-right leader, who has focused on domestic issues such as the cost of living and inflation, has climbed in the polls, from 16% immediately after the start of the war to around 20%.