Le Pen's niece officially supports Eric Zemmour instead of aunt

• 

Marine Le Pen's niece, Marion Marechal, has officially joined her aunt's rival campaign for the French April 2022 elections. 

Marechal will be supporting Eric Zemmour, a far-right candidate who takes pride in being compared to Donald Trump and Boris Johnson. 

The 32-year-old former member of the National Assembly of France had already stated her intentions months back, supporting Zemmour whom she believes would be a better candidate than Le Pen. 

Read more: French reporter infiltrates Zemmour campaign, reveals secrets

Furthermore, the current President, Emmanuel Macron, who announced his official running for his second term in the French elections, could be using the situation between Ukraine and Russia to bolster his electoral standing and popularity among French citizens. 

So far, Macron is the overwhelming favorite, while other candidates stand in the shade. 

Marechal expressed hope, saying, "I am certain that political transformation will take place and I believe again that victory is possible." She also called Macron a "president of division."

However, Marechal's commitment to creating a family feud to support Zemmour only creates leverage for the Jewish Algerian candidate, especially after his popularity last week had started to wane.

In January, Le Pen said that she was hurt by Marechal's defection, describing the act as "brutal", "shocking", and "difficult" for her. 

Read more: Is Le Pen's French far-right falling apart?

Macron, in the elections, will have to face Le Pen and Zemmour, whom the polls suggest will be the main competitors against him. Valerie Pecresse, moreover, is failing to ignite her campaign and won't constitute a serious rivalry. 

Since the beginning of the Russian military operation on Ukraine, Macron's popularity sharply increased: an Ipsos-Sopra-Steria poll suggests that he will be winning 30.5% in the first round. Le Pen, on the other hand, is on 14.5% while Zemmour is on 13%. Pecresse, however, was put on 11.5%, while leftist candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon has 12%.

Read more: Melenchon: Washington has decided to annex Ukraine to NATO

Marechal was the youngest member of the parliament in 2012, joining at the age of 22, diverting away from the political scene five years later to spend time with her daughter while also opening a political sciences school oriented toward "nationalism".