Far-right French leader unveils presidential platform

Feb 7

By NATHALIE SCHUCK

SAINT-CLOUD, France - French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen unveiled his presidential platform on Thursday, pledging to sponsor votes on whether to restore the death penalty and do away with the euro. 

Le Pen, president of the extremist National Front, says he wants to hold one referendum each year of the president's five-year term in order to "give people a voice ... in huge decisions." 

Speaking at his movement's headquarters in the Paris suburb of Saint-Cloud, Le Pen said he wants to hear what French voters have to say about bringing back the death penalty, abolished in 1981, and the French franc, which was replaced by the euro this year. 

Le Pen says he supports the death penalty for serious crimes and also opposed switching from the franc to the European single currency. 

He also said he wanted to revive the debate on his long-standing proposal to give French nationals preference over immigrants in jobs, housing and welfare benefits. Le Pen wants a referendum to determine whether a "national preference" provision should be added to the French Constitution. 

The top two contenders in this spring's presidential contest are expected to be President Jacques Chirac and Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, though neither has yet officially declared themselves a candidate. 

Recent polls put Le Pen's support at about 9 percent of voters, fourth behind Jean-Pierre Chevenement, a former minister in Jospin's leftist coalition government. 

Le Pen, whose party has blamed immigrants for high unemployment and urban violence, placed third in the last two presidential elections.

SAINT-CLOUD (AP) -- ''Donner la parole au peuple, je m'y engage!'' Le pr�sident du Front national Jean-Marie Le Pen a d�voil� jeudi les cinq r�f�rendums qu'il soumettrait aux Fran�ais en cas de victoire � la pr�sidentielle. Du r�tablissement de la peine de mort au retour du franc, le candidat tente de se forger une image de d�mocrate.