Political ambitions reveal cracks in yellow vest movement

FILE - In this Jan. 15, 2019 file photo, Ingrid Levavasseur, one of the leading figures of France's yellow vest protests, smiles ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit in Bourgtheroulde, Normandy. Among the groups of yellow vests planning to field candidates for the upcoming European elections, the Citizens' Initiative Rally is expected to be led by a 31-year-old care worker Levavasseur. (AP Photo/Francois Mori, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 14, 2019 file photo, Thierry Paul Valette, founder of a group called "National Egality", talks to The Associated Press in Paris. Having brought hundreds of thousands of people to the streets over the past three months in protest of French president Emmanuel Macron's politics, yellow vests activists now want to build on their street credibility to get a significant electoral success. (AP Photo/Bertrand Combaldieu, File)

Having brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets over the past three months in protest at French President Emmanuel Macron's politics, yellow vest activists now want to build on their street cred to achieve electoral success.

But the movement, named after the fluorescent garments French motorists must carry, is divided: it has no appointed leader, gathers people from across the political spectrum and has an array of demands.

With the next elections to the European Parliament set for the end of May, no fewer than four groups from the grassroots movement could submit lists of candidates for the ballot. Some media-savvy yellow vest figures also are tempted to run under the mantle of traditional political parties trying to take advantage of their popularity.