French far-right politician Marine Le Pen on Sunday officially launched her bid to become France’s next president. “What is at stake in this election... is whether France can still be a free nation,” Le Pen said at a rally in Lyon. “The divide is not between the left and the right anymore but between patriots and globalists!” Le Pen is a fan of U.S. President Donald Trump, as both have struck similar nationalist, populist tones in their respective campaigns. France’s two-round elections begin in April. Her more moderate conservative opponent, former Prime Minister Francois Fillon, is embroiled in a scandal over his family members’ reported “no-show” government jobs.
