Front National’s historic result should be a wake up call to the EU
Europe would do well to listen to the PM, before it’s too late
By Vincenzo Scarpetta, Political analyst, Open Europe
TelegraphUK
07 Dec 2015
The result obtained by Front National in the first round of the French regional election is nothing short of historic. Marine Le Pen’s party finished in the lead, winning nearly 28 per cent of the nationwide vote – its highest score ever. Front National candidates topped the polls in six out of thirteen French mainland regions, outperforming both Nicolas Sarkozy’s centre-right alliance and President François Hollande’s Socialist Party.
Nothing is decided yet. The second, decisive round of this regional election will take place next Sunday – and voters’ behaviour can change between the two rounds. However, Front National does really look close to a breakthrough. The party has never governed a French region. Securing control of even just one of them would already be an unprecedented achievement.
Significantly, the gains made by Front National cut across all types of regions – from the wealthy French Riviera to rural Burgundy. The industrial Northern region (now merged with Picardy), where Marine Le Pen herself is standing as candidate and won over 40 per cent of the vote in the first round, has been a stronghold of the Left since direct election of regional assemblies in France began in the 1980s.
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