Paris (AFP)

Marine Le Pen wants to keep "the calm of the old troops" in the face of the Eric Zemmour threat, opposing his "field work" to the "media light" posed on the polemicist, expected Friday in Budapest at a meeting of the right-wing identity .

"I am not looking for media light," said the candidate for the Elysee on Thursday on the sidelines of a trip to Moselle, in an allusion to Eric Zemmour who scours the television sets without hiding his presidential ambitions but without have declared themselves a candidate.

After a visit to the Hayange market, a town held by the National Rally, and before a closed-door meeting with residents in search of social housing, Ms. Le Pen defended her "agenda" which consists of going "into the field. "to offer the French" solutions "such as" national priority "to housing or defend purchasing power, on which the RN is organizing a day of action on Saturday.

The far-right leader says she is part of "perseverance" and "the modesty of going to the markets".

"Sorry for not representing novelty, I represent persistence, pugnacity, long time," she argued.

"A second round is never played. But I have no worries, I have the certainty that we will win," assured Ms. Le Pen.

- "Euphemized" -

"The important thing is to have the answers, today (Eric Zemmour) does not have them", ruled Friday the spokesperson for RN Sébastien Chenu on France 2, the day after a televised debate between the polemicist and the leader of the Insoumis Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who attracted 3.81 million viewers.

Marine Le Pen has however fallen sharply since the summer in the voting intentions in the first round of the presidential election, to 18-20% according to the polls, against Eric Zemmour given at 10-11%, who bites especially on the electorate of the RN but also on that of the classic right.

For Dominique Reynié, Director General of the Foundation for Political Innovation, Ms. Le Pen "is wrong" not to worry about Mr. Zemmour who takes her votes and "refers to the historic version of the National Front, that of the Father Jean-Marie Le Pen "with a speech" breaking with rhetorical conventions ".

This speech can seduce a part of the voters RN, "dispossessed of topics which are dear to them" in the speech "euphemized" of Marine Le Pen, he explained on LCI.

"I will not venture to say that the scenario of the second round is played," also warned on Thursday Marion Maréchal, the niece of Marine Le Pen, who is participating in Budapest in a conference of the conservative and identity right, where was also speak Friday Mr. Zemmour.

- Orban -

The former FN deputy refused to say whether she would support her aunt or the polemicist if the latter appeared.

In disagreement with Marine Le Pen, Marion Maréchal is close to Mr. Zemmour.

Both are more liberal economically, more conservative on societal values ​​and more radical on immigration than Marine Le Pen.

Marion Maréchal will come to listen to Mr. Zemmour at the conference in Budapest, where the two far-right figures were received by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, with whom Marine Le Pen's relations are more complex.

The Hungarian leader did not want to appear with Marine Le Pen as long as he was part of the EPP group (right) in the European Parliament - the RN is part of the ID group - but he clearly moved closer to the extreme right in recent months.

The French candidate assured that she would meet Mr. Orban "in the coming weeks", "probably in Hungary".

She recalled having published in July, with some fifteen allies in Europe, including Mr. Orban, a "joint declaration" with a view to an alliance in the European Parliament to "reform Europe".

© 2021 AFP