French elections: Far-right candidate to withdraw after Nazi cap picture emerges

A candidate for the far-right Rassemblement National party will drop out after a picture of her wearing a Nazi cap circulated on social media, a party official said.

Ludivine Daoudi qualified for the second round of the legislative elections after obtaining 19.95% of the vote on Sunday, June 30, in the 1st constituency of Calvados, in Normandy. The decision to withdraw her was taken "at the level of the RN headquarters," said the head of the local RN branch, Philippe Chapron, speaking to radio France Bleu Normandie on Tuesday morning.

The photo shows Daoudi wearing a Luftwaffe cap bearing a swastika.

🚨Ludivine Daoudi, la candidate du RN sur la 1e circonscription du Calvados, est portée disparue depuis le début de la campagne.

Quand on regarde ses réseaux sociaux, on comprend mieux pourquoi.

Le 7 juillet, pas une seule voix pour ces immondes fascistes. pic.twitter.com/qRL8hwLZwm — Emma Fourreau (@emma_frr) July 1, 2024

"She doesn't deny it, she took the photo several years ago at an arms market" in Normandy, said Chapron. He said that "the candidacy will be withdrawn as of today."

The photo was shared by the candidate for the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance Emma Fourreau – who came 2nd in the constituency with 34.82% of votes cast. "Ludivine Daoudi, the RN candidate for the 1st constituency of Calvados, has been missing since the start of the campaign. When you look at her social media, it's easy to understand why," Fourreau wrote in a message posted on X.

Throughout the electoral campaign, several RN candidates were found to have posted racist, anti-Semitic and insulting messages on social media.