French ambassadors speak out against Marine Le Pen

France’s ambassadors to the United States and Japan have criticised far-right presidential candidate and National Front (FN) leader Marine Le Pen.

Marine Le Pen campaign poster in Marseille, February 2017. AFP/Boris Horvat

In an interview published by American daily The Washington Post on Thursday, France’s ambassador to the US, Gérard Araud, said that the election of the far-right National Front (FN) leader would be “a total disaster”.

Le Pen has vowed to withdraw France from the European Union (EU) if elected. She has also called for taking a harder stance on immigration.

Araud said that a Le Pen victory would mean “the collapse of the EU, because the EU without France doesn’t make any sense.”

The ambassador speculated that it would also mean “the collapse of the euro and a financial crisis, which will have consequences throughout the world.”

Araud joined France’s ambassador to Japan, Thierry Dana, in publicly speaking out against Le Pen.

Dana published a column in French daily Le Monde on Wednesday in which he said he would refuse to serve Le Pen if she becomes president.

“If the French tragedy comes to pass and leads to her election, I would withdraw from all my diplomatic functions,” Dana wrote.

While Araud praised his colleague’s “excellent article”, Defence Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault sent a memo to French diplomats emphasising the importance of “prudence and the principle of neutrality”, according to AFP.

“Against the backdrop of rising populism, we need to keep cool heads, or else risk encouraging the rise of demagoguery directed against public services,” Ayrault wrote.

Le Pen has been leading in opinion polls alongside centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron. The first round of the presidential elections will take place at the end of April.