The Albany Gazette - Le Pen says days of new French govt numbered

Le Pen, 56, spoke a day after President Emmanuel Macron named a new government under Francois Bayrou, his fourth prime minister of the year, to drag the second-largest EU economy out of political crisis.

"This moment of temporary political fluctuation... will come to an end as soon as the people, through their sovereign will and collective intelligence, decide to do so," she said in a Christmas Eve video posted on X.

"They will then choose a new path to follow, that of revival and recovery," Le Pen added, a Christmas tree behind her.

That moment will come "as soon as the institutions allow it. That means, as we are all aware, soon -- very soon, in a few months at most," she said.

France has been mired in political deadlock since Macron gambled on snap elections this summer in the hopes of bolstering his authority. The move backfired, with voters electing a parliament fractured between three rival blocs.

Le Pen now has unprecedented power over French politics.

By joining forces with the hard left, Le Pen's far-right National Rally party toppled Bayrou's predecessor Michel Barnier earlier this month. Many predict the centrist will also struggle to survive.

Le Pen is seen by many as having her best ever chance to win the French presidency in 2027 after three unsuccessful attempts.

However, her trial on charges of creating fake jobs at the EU parliament, which she denies, could hobble her ambitions.

If convicted, she could receive a jail sentence and a ban from public office.

The verdict is due on March 31.

Some analysts believe that she wants to force Macron to resign quickly and hold snap presidential elections, allowing her to take the Elysee, and with it presidential immunity, before the verdict.

In an interview with Le Parisien last week, Le Pen said she was "preparing for an early presidential election".

"Emmanuel Macron is finished, or almost," she said. "I'm not trying to be cruel, it is an institutional reality."

(A.Johnson--TAG)