Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, niece of National Front leader and defeated presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, will not stand for reelection to the French parliament, Le Figaro reported Tuesday.
Le Figaro reported that the 27-year-old, who is one of only two National Front lawmakers in the outgoing parliament and one of the best known figures in the party, had made a decision to stand down for personal reasons.
During the presidential election campaign, 48-year-old Marine Le Pen had tried to extend her party's appeal to a wider base and had stepped down as party leader.
In 13 districts, Le Pen scored more than 55 per cent of the vote leading many to believe the party will pick up seats in those areas at a minimum.
While she did not elaborate, there have been speculations that she might want to dissolve her party, and start a new political movement aimed at "a major political reorganisation around the divide between patriots and globalists".
Party officials did not immediately confirm the information.
Marechal-Le Pen has cited personal reasons for leaving but for many it lays bare divisions between the traditional far-right and the more modernising stance of Marine Le Pen.
Theresa May 'more in touch' than Nicola Sturgeon, says Ruth Davidson
For one, there are variables in a council election which don't tend to present themselves in Holyrood or Westminster votes. Thursday's (4 May) council elections saw the Conservatives gain 164 seats in Scotland to achieve a tally of 276.
On the other extreme on the far left, the Communist Party and the party of defeated presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon are messily divorcing.
Anticipating the criticisms, Marine Le Pen already announced "a deep transformation" of the party - a restructuring that has actually been pending for various months - when she acknowledged her defeat on Sunday night.
Overall, forecasts suggest Mr Macron secured around 65 per cent of votes to Ms Le Pen's 35 per cent.
The upheavals in rival parties could strengthen Macron's fledgling "Republic on the Move" movement as it fights its first legislative election in June, aiming to deliver him the parliamentary majority he will need to govern effectively and implement his campaign pledges over the next five years. Rather, the blame is to be sought among those who have eroded the sense of conflict that historically separated the Left and the Right, and which revolved around the question of freedom and equality.
Ms Le Pen's comparative success among younger voters is likely to raise the prospect of another run for the presidency at the next election in 2022.
Cambadelis spoke to reporters in Paris after the Socialist Party's candidates met to agree on the platform they will run under in the June 11 and 18 legislative ballots.
In the new and uncertain political landscape, Manuel Valls personifies the struggle of some politicians to work out where they now fit.
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