Le Pen uitgesloten van regionale verkiezingen in Zuid-Frankrijk (en)

Jean-Marie Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Front party in France, has been ruled out of standing in regional elections in the region of Provence-Alpes-Cotes d'Azur because he does not have the necessary taxpayer status there.

Two years ago, Mr Le Pen shocked France and the World when his far-right National Front came second in the French Presidential elections.

But a court in Marseilles has ruled, "Mr Le Pen does not have a home in Nice and is therefore not listed in the roll of direct taxpayers nor deserves to be enrolled. He is therefore declared not eligible for the regional elections in PACA [the region]".

The extremist politician claims he has been set up in a Government plot and his lawyer told reporters that Mr Le Pen had already been involved in four elections in the region. "We thought that what had been granted four times would be granted for a fifth", he said, according to Le Figaro.

But one of his rivals in the election, Renaud Muselier, said that he had made a "beginner's error which shows the incompetence of his team".

Most polls put Mr Le Pen third in the elections but he claims to have conducted a poll himself giving him a third of the vote.

Moreover, he promised that a National Front candidate would win the election whether he was present or not.