(Bloomberg) -- Members of France’s Yellow Vests protest movement are preparing a run for European parliament as the ‘Citizen’s Initiative Rally’ in a move that could challenge Marine Le Pen’s grip on populist voters.
Ingrid Levavasseur, a health-care aide from Normandy, would head the party’s list for the May 26 vote, according to a statement from the new party reported by Agence France-Presse.
An Elabe poll conducted earlier this week found that 13% of voters would choose a Yellow Vests party if given the chance. The highest number of those voting intentions came from Marine Le Pen’s National Rally, whose share was seen falling from 20.5% to 17.5%.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s party, which leads the race with 23.5% of voting intentions, according to the poll, saw its score dropping one percent to 22.5% if the Yellow Vests staged a run.
Protesters wearing yellow safety vests have blockaded French shopping centers and staged sometimes violent marches on Paris since November. What started as a movement against a proposed hike in fuel taxes has broadened its demands for boosting the incomes of working class people and continues to call for the resignation of President Macron.
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