Le Pen first had success in an ex-mining town. Her message there is now winning over French society
In the former mining town at the heart of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s political strategy, her party’s electoral success came as no surprise to hundreds of supporters who gathered to see her victory speech
HENIN-BEAUMONT, France (AP) — In the former mining town at the heart of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s political strategy, her party's electoral success Sunday came as no surprise to hundreds of supporters who gathered to see her victory speech. The same promises to bring back good jobs and upend the political elite that long resonated here have found a national audience.
Le Pen implanted herself in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont in the early 2000s, hoping to win over disenchanted voters feeling left behind by the new economy and growing tired of decades of Socialist local governance. It was the start of a decade-long effort to detoxify her anti-immigration National Rally and win over voters from across French society.
Several waves of industrial shutdowns have left unemployment levels above the national average, and 60% of the population earns so little it does not need to pay tax, according to data from France’s national statistics agency, INSEE. The construction of a mammoth shopping center on Henin-Beaumont’s outskirts emptied out the town and dozens of shops, hairdressers and restaurants remain empty.
In 2013, the the town's Socialist mayor, Gérard Dalongeville, was sentenced to four years in prison and a 50,000-euro ($53,000) fine for embezzlement of public funds.
