**Le Pen Sets Sights on Macron After Prime Minister's Ouster**

**Marine Le Pen's recent move to remove the prime minister raises the stakes in her campaign against President Emmanuel Macron.**

PARIS — In a significant escalation of France's political climate, far-right leader Marine Le Pen has recently marked a notable victory by successfully dismissing Prime Minister Michel Barnier. With this triumph, she has turned her attention towards a more formidable target: President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron, however, is not taking her challenge lightly. By the following Monday, he had chosen to dismiss Le Pen and her National Rally party, which is known for its hardline anti-immigrant stance, labeling her a “pariah” in his political strategy. While other political leaders had direct discussions with the President at the Élysée Palace, Le Pen remained intentionally excluded due to her alignment with the so-called "anti-Republican front."

This could potentially backfire for Macron. Le Pen’s announcement in Parliament regarding Barnier's political demise sparked a rapid sequence of events, culminating in a no-confidence vote that resulted in Barnier’s ouster. Macron’s attempt to ignore Le Pen's influence, which includes the largest parliamentary faction, may prove to be a tactical error.

In her recent remarks, Le Pen made it clear that the current administration could be on shaky ground and suggests the possibility of subsequent governments following in Barnier's footsteps, eventually pursuing her ultimate goal: the presidency. With political tensions rising and Le Pen’s ambitions now firmly directed at Macron, observers are keenly watching how this confrontation unfolds in the coming months.