In that time, as an extreme but enduring figure on the French political landscape, he attempted to become the French President five times. It confirmed the rise of Le Pen’s party weeks after the terrorist attacks in Paris, in a country beset by high unemployment and gripped by fears about the ongoing European migration crisis.
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It is a massive coup for Le Pen, who received 40% of votes in the north-eastern region of Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie.
Her young niece, Marion Marechal-Le Pen, appears to be on even stronger footing in her race to lead the southern Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur region, including the French Riviera and part of the Alps.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Front party, leaves her polling station in Henin-Beaumont.
“We’re not home and dry yet, especially since the election is being run in an unfair way”, she said on French radio RTL.
“This sacrifice for our democratic ideal will not be in vain”. But his Socialist Party has languished behind the FN and the Centre-right Republicans.
Shortly after the exit polls were released on Sunday, Sarkozy immediately ruled out forming any “tactical alliances” with Hollande’s Socialists ahead of next week’s second round of voting.
Sarkozy, who is head of The Republicans nationally and is preparing for another run at the presidency, appealed to National Front voters to consider his party when they return to the polls next week.
IFOP POLLSTER ANALYST JEROME FOURQUET, on the expected wins for the far-right party in local elections. He called voters to “mobilise for the only possible change in power” represented by his party.
France 24, the worldwide broadcaster, has more detail on the vote and reactions to the projected result.
The message from the first round of France’s regional elections is simple and unequivocal – once again the far right has come out on top.
The presidential elections are in June 2017.
Winning two regions or more would be a breakthrough for the party, 18 months before the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2017.
PARIS (AP) – French voters are casting ballots Sunday for regional leaders in an unusually tense security climate, expected to favor conservative and far right candidates and strike a new blow against the governing Socialists.
But the FN may also have benefited from a low turnout.
“Every vote will count”.
“It’s the future of France that is at stake”, party leader Jean-Christophe Cambadelis said on Monday.
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The assaults on 13 November left 130 people dead and more than 350 wounded.
