This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jul/28/france-jean-marie-le-pen-wins-third-legal-victory-against-daughter-marine

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Jean-Marie Le Pen wins third legal victory against daughter Marine Jean-Marie Le Pen wins third legal victory against daughter Marine
(about 1 hour later)
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the French far-right veteran and co-founder of the Front National, has won a third legal victory in the increasingly bitter feud with his daughter and party leader, Marine Le Pen.Jean-Marie Le Pen, the French far-right veteran and co-founder of the Front National, has won a third legal victory in the increasingly bitter feud with his daughter and party leader, Marine Le Pen.
The Versailles appeals court upheld an earlier legal decision in favour of the 87-year-old that annulled his daughter’s attempt to suspend him from the party and declared unlawful her postal ballot of party members, which sought to remove his title as honorary party president.The Versailles appeals court upheld an earlier legal decision in favour of the 87-year-old that annulled his daughter’s attempt to suspend him from the party and declared unlawful her postal ballot of party members, which sought to remove his title as honorary party president.
An all-out war broke out between the Le Pens in April following inflammatory comments the father made belittling the Holocaust and lauding France’s Nazi-collaborationist Vichy regime. Marine Le Pen suspended her father from the party he co-founded in 1972 and called a ballot to scrap his position as honorary president. In a vicious public spat, he disowned her and they stopped speaking. Since then, they have been battling it out in the law courts. An all-out war broke out between the Le Pens in April following inflammatory comments Le Pen Senior made belittling the Holocaust and lauding France’s Nazi-collaborationist Vichy regime. Marine Le Pen suspended her father from the party he co-founded in 1972 and called a ballot to scrap his position as honorary president. In a vicious public spat, he disowned her and they stopped speaking. Since then, they have been battling it out in the law courts.
Le Pen Senior – who is famous for going to court against his enemies – has so-far won each courtroom showdown. First, he was reinstated as a party member by a court in Nanterre. Then judges froze the ballot in which more than 30,000 Front National members voted this month over new party structures that would axe Le Pen’s role as honorary president. Le Pen Senior’s latest victory means that if his daughter wants to eject him from the position of honorary president, she must call general assembly that brings together party members to vote in person – a complex challenge with regional elections approaching.Le Pen Senior – who is famous for going to court against his enemies – has so-far won each courtroom showdown. First, he was reinstated as a party member by a court in Nanterre. Then judges froze the ballot in which more than 30,000 Front National members voted this month over new party structures that would axe Le Pen’s role as honorary president. Le Pen Senior’s latest victory means that if his daughter wants to eject him from the position of honorary president, she must call general assembly that brings together party members to vote in person – a complex challenge with regional elections approaching.
Marine Le Pen took over the leadership of the Front National from her father in 2011 and has sought to boost her presidential ambitions with a public relations drive to “detoxify” the party and move it away from the racist, jackbooted, antisemitic imagery of the past. Unlike her father, who always prided himself as a provocateur outsider, Marine Le Pen is focused on cementing political power, building grass-roots and ultimately, winning a pivotal position in the presidential race of 2017. Marine Le Pen took over the leadership of the Front National from her father in 2011 and has sought to boost her presidential ambitions with a public relations drive to “detoxify” the party and move it away from the racist, jackbooted, antisemitic imagery of the past. Unlike her father, who always prided himself as a provocateur outsider, Marine Le Pen is focused on cementing political power, building grassroots support and, ultimately, winning a pivotal position in the presidential race of 2017.
She will run in the regional elections later this year and the party had hoped the feud with her father would be contained by then. Instead, tensions are still being stoked and Le Pen Senior has left open the possibility of running on his own ticket in the southern region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, where his high-profile granddaughter, Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, has taken over from him as party candidate.She will run in the regional elections later this year and the party had hoped the feud with her father would be contained by then. Instead, tensions are still being stoked and Le Pen Senior has left open the possibility of running on his own ticket in the southern region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, where his high-profile granddaughter, Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, has taken over from him as party candidate.
Meanwhile, Jean-Marie Le Pen is to face criminal trial over the comments he made in April in which he repeated that “gas chambers were a detail” of the second world war. He will stand trial for denying crimes against humanity. Le Pen, who has been convicted more than 15 times for hate-speech and contesting crimes against humanity, told AFP that he did not “for one moment” regret his words.Meanwhile, Jean-Marie Le Pen is to face criminal trial over the comments he made in April in which he repeated that “gas chambers were a detail” of the second world war. He will stand trial for denying crimes against humanity. Le Pen, who has been convicted more than 15 times for hate-speech and contesting crimes against humanity, told AFP that he did not “for one moment” regret his words.
Separately, the Front National is appealing the court ruling that annulled Jean-Marie Le Pen’s suspension from the party. Separately, the Front National is appealing against the court ruling that annulled Jean-Marie Le Pen’s suspension from the party.