THE TECHNOLOGY

- In search of credibility after her failure in 2017, Marine Le Pen chose to take as campaign manager a "great servant of the State" instead of a "political profile", in the person of Christophe Bay.

But this prefect is targeted by administrative investigations for unjustified expenses when he was prefect of Aube (2011-2014) and Dordogne (2014-2016), revealed Le Monde.

The person concerned assures him that he has reimbursed the sums claimed.

- Jean-Philippe Tanguy, deputy campaign director, graduate of Essec and Sciences Po, is a specialist in energy issues.

He worked for Clara Gaymard when she chaired General Electric France.

Former right-hand man of sovereignist Nicolas Dupont-Aignan (Debout la France, DLF), he joined the RN candidate in March 2021 with some 130 DLF executives.

- Renaud Labaye, Marine Le Pen's chief of staff, notably participated in the drafting of a controversial "costing" table for the presidential project presented at the end of March, which Marine Le Pen considers "credible" and financially "balanced".

A graduate of Saint-Cyr and HEC, he was until then a collaborator in the National Assembly of Marine Le Pen, MP for Pas-de-Calais.

- The mysterious Horaces club has brought together since 2015 a group of experts who advise Marine Le Pen, led by the ex-RPR André Rougé, RN delegate for Overseas.

Its members prefer to remain anonymous.

One of them, Hervé Fabre-Aubrespy, polytechnician and enarque, ex-DLF, was present when Marine Le Pen presented her draft referendum on immigration at the end of September.

FAMILY

- Marie-Caroline Le Pen, elder sister of Marine Le Pen, takes care of travel.

She is the wife of Philippe Olivier, a close adviser to the candidate, for whom he often writes speeches.

Marie-Caroline Le Pen in Marseille, November 19, 2021 Nicolas TUCAT AFP / Archives

- Their daughter Nolwenn is the companion of Jordan Bardella who took the interim presidency of the National Rally from her, during the campaign.

This faithful lieutenant, responsible for mobilizing the militant apparatus and cited as a possible minister, exercises this mission “voluntarily” while the candidate still receives the monthly allowance of 5,000 euros linked to this function.

- Jean-Marie Le Pen, despite their differences, supported him, but not his niece Marion Maréchal, who went to Eric Zemmour.

THE COM'

- Caroline Parmentier, the candidate's press attaché, takes part in almost all the trips.

Responsible for smoothing out sometimes stormy relations with the press, she comes from the fundamentalist Catholic newspaper Present, where she held more radical positions than those of the current candidate.

Caroline Parmentier, the mayor of Fréjus David Racheline (d), and Marine Le Pen before the first results of the first round in Paris, April 10, 2022 JOEL SAGET AFP / Archives

- Alexandre Loubet, from Debout la France, is the discreet director of communication for the RN and the campaign of Marine Le Pen.

RELATIVES

Two RN mayors, Louis Aliot, in Perpignan, also ex-companion of Ms. Le Pen, and Steeve Briois, in Hénin-Beaumont, who are also vice-presidents of the RN, are among the spokespersons for the campaign.

The mayor of Beaucaire, Julien Beaucaire, also carries the voice of Marine Le Pen, like the deputy from the North and former founder of GayLib at the UMP (now LR) Sébastien Chenu, and the ex-DLF Laurent Jacobelli.

RN deputy Bruno Bilde, and RN mayor of Fréjus, David Rachline are also part of the close team.

RALLIES

This circle is further from the campaign, but its members, who joined Marine Le Pen on the occasion of the 2019 Europeans, are cited to integrate a possible government.

- Jean-Paul Garraud, former magistrate and ex-LR deputy, is presented as future Minister of Justice.

Former rapporteur of the 2010 law which prohibits the concealment of the face in public space, as with the full veil, he is the author of the text against "Islamist ideologies", the second pillar of Marine Le Pen's program after the immigration.

Jean-Paul Garraud at the 17th RN congress in Perpignan on July 3, 2021 VALENTINE CHAPUIS AFP / Archives

- Hervé Juvin, cantor of an identity and civilizational ecology, is a former adviser to Raymond Barre who has become ideologically close to the theoreticians of the New Right, around the concept of ethno-differentialism.

- Thierry Mariani, former Sarkozyist minister, also has a "vocation" to join a possible government despite his pro-Russian positions.

The MEP was asked to remain discreet after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, where he spoke of "operation intoxication" about the bombing of the Mariupol theater.

© 2022 AFP