Le Pen, in stepping down, is doing something Irish politicians do all the time when their party has become a poisoned chalice: she's becoming an "independent" or possibly founding a new party. Meanwhile, another of her family is likely to become the head of the nepotistic National Front.

Le Pen is hoping to gain voters who fool themselves and say "Look, she's up for controlling immigration and limiting the power of Europe, goody, and she's not a member of that nasty fascist anti-semitic party, what was it called again?"