Paris--Marion Marechal-Le Pen was just two when she made her political debut, pictured in the arms of her grandfather Jean-Marie in an election poster for his far-right National Front (FN) party.
Fast-forward 23 years and the blonde, telegenic mother is France's youngest lawmaker and a rising star of the FN, with ultra-conservative views that often position her to the right even of her aunt, party chief Marine Le Pen.
One of the politically active members of the Le Pen family, Marion appears to be patriarch Jean-Marie's favourite and it came as no surprise that he suggested she take his place in upcoming regional elections, after a public spat with his daughter Marine forced him to stand down.
"If she accepts, I think she would head a very good list (of candidates). She is certainly the best," the 86-year-old FN founder told Le Figaro magazine in comments published Monday.
And the closely guarded, deeply religious, smiley law graduate certainly does fascinate.
Ill-at-ease in front of journalists and cameras, she has no qualms in standing up in the lower house National Assembly and accusing a visibly furious Prime Minister Manuel Valls of "moronic contempt" towards the FN.
Or joining the ranks of anti-gay marriage protesters in 2013 when Marine decided to stay away.
Or re-tweeting a video by an FN European Parliament member warning about Islam's threat to France despite strict orders not to publicise it from her aunt -- who is trying to rid the party of its racist and anti-Semitic image.
AFP
