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The shocking news comes a day after Centrist Emmanuel Macron won the first round of the French presidential elections and Mrs Le Pen came second. The leader of the Front National is stepping down in an attempt to attract more voters and distance herself from the Front National, which is seen by many as too far-right with racist and anti-Semitic connotations. Mrs Le Pen said: "I think that we're approaching a decisive moment. I've always believed that the president should be the president of all the French people and reflect the French public in its entirety. "I believe that you should act on your words, and it is for that reason that I will be stepping down as head of the Front National. "Therefore as of tonight I am no longer the president of the Front National, I am a candidate of the presidential election. "I will be above partisan considerations, and I think this is an important move." Mrs Le Pen hopes to reach out to potential voters who backed the Eurosceptic Jean-Luc Melenchon and the Conservative Francois Fillon.

GETTY Marine Le Pen has stepped down as leader of the Front National

An insider from Ms Le Pen's camp told Express.co.uk she is standing down as Front National leader to run on her own ticket, so she cannot be tarred with the past of her far right party. Mrs Le Pen tweeted this evening: “I wish the broadest gathering of the patriots face the representative of uninhibited globalisation.” Her move appears to be a way of broadening her voter reach ahead of the final round of voting on May 7.

Shocking riots in Paris during the French presidential election Mon, April 24, 2017 Demonstrators clash with riot police after partial results in the first round of 2017 French presidential election, in Paris Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 12 A member of feminist activist group Femen is detained by a police officer as they protest against French presidential election candidate Marine Le Pen

I am no longer the president of Front National Marine Le Pen

It has been suggested she may be about to release another, more centre right manifesto, in a bid to unite France. An insider said: "It's nothing to worry about, it's purely to focus on her presidential bid. "It's better that people don't see her as the Front National leader because she needs Fillon's conservatives and Melenchon's Eurosceptics if she's going to beat Macron." The insider also told Express.co.uk that Florian Phillipot could take over the campaign while Mrs Le Pen organises another manifesto in unite France.

GETTY Macron and Le Pen won the first round of the French election yesterday

This comes as President Francois Hollande has endorsed Mr Macron to be the next leader of France. Mrs Le Pen published a video on the Front National today, Monday April 24, thanking her supporters for helping her in the election, which saw her coming second in the first round yesterday. To find out more about Marine Le Pen click here.

Speaking today on France 2 television, the Front National leader said: “I have no disappointment, I only have hopes; we can win and we will win.” Mr Macron received 23.74 per cent of the votes in the highly-contested first round against Ms Le Pen's 21.53 per cent, according to Interior Ministry final figures. In a victory speech, Mr Macron said: ”I hope that in a fortnight I will become your president. I want to become the president of all the people of France - the president of the patriots in the face of the threat from the nationalists.

GETTY Macron, founder of En Marche!, won the first round of the French election

Mrs Le Pen said that the result showed “an enormous confidence by the French people in the future of France”. She said: "You will get a France that protects the people, we will not have the free circulation of terrorists. "There is globalisation that endangers civilisations and we should protect borders." Francois Fillon and Jean-Luc Mélenchon were knocked out of the running, scoring 19.9 per cent (7.1m) and 19.6 per cent (7m) of the vote respectively. Mr Hollande warned of dangerous consequences if the far-right candidate Mrs Le Pen were to win.

GETTY Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine's dad, founded the Front National

However, Mrs Le Pen has been encouraged by the result promising to end mass immigration and terrorism. She said: “I would like to express to you that this is an historic result and now we have an enormous responsibility to defend the French culture. "You will get a France that protects the people, we will not have the free circulation of terrorists.

GETTY Le Pen removed her last name from her campaign posters