Far-right National Front hails breakthrough after disillusioned voters reject François Hollande and both mainstream parties
Was this the moment the Front National became more than just a protest party?
While France's local elections on Sunday were notable for record voter abstention and a bloody nose for the governing Socialists, it was the far-right party's showing in a crucial European election year that really stood out.
The anti-Europe FN, led by Marine le Pen, fielded candidates in fewer than 600 of France's 36,000 municipalities – and still secured about 5% of the total votes cast at the weekend. As a result, expectations are mounting that it will do extremely well in May's European elections.
The FN secured one mayor elected outright in the northern town of Hénin-Beaumont, a former coalmining area traditionally in Socialist hands, and enough votes to take part in the second-round runoff in nearly 230 municipalities. The FN goes into next Sunday's vote ahead in a number of major and symbolic towns and cities including Avignon, Perpignan and Béziers.
Commentators said the country had been washed by a wave of "bleu Marine" (a play on the FN leader's name and the colour navy blue). Le Monde described it as a "political earthquake".
"The new age of the extreme right" read the headline in the left-leaning Nouvel Observateur magazine. "Even if the FN only ends up with a handful of town halls, it's certainly a historic performance and success for Le Pen's party.
"The FN appears more and more clearly as an alternative, capable of taking responsibility and managing the affairs of a community and this is the greatest success of Marine Le Pen."
France's biggest selling newspaper, Ouest-France, said the FN was now the "third political force" in the country.
Madani Cheurfa, a political analyst at Cevipof, a political research centrethat specialises in local elections, said the results were due to three factors: the increasing gulf between politicians and the voting public, a sense that neither of the mainstream parties had solutions to ordinary people's problems and the recent spate of corruption scandals.
"There is a growing feeling of divorce between politicians and the electorate that has become worse over the last four years," Cheurfa said.
He said a recent Cevipof survey found 87% of those asked thought "politicians didn't think the same way as ordinary people" and 60% said they had no confidence in the left or the right.
"The Front National vote shows signs of being more than just a protest vote," he said. "It suggests that, locally at least, voters are attracted by their ideas and it shows that voters believe they understand the problems of local people and are convinced an FN candidate is capable of running their town."
"At the moment we are seeing the beginning of the multi-polarisation of political life, but we will have to see if the [FN] success can be repeated in a national election, such as the legislatives in 2017.
"Only then will we see whether the FN is considered an alternative to the Parti Socialist and the UMP. And by 2017 they will have been able to show if they can run a town and if they have the necessary legitimacy to become the third party."
Frédéric Dabi, of the opinion pollsters Ifop, agreed: "The rise in abstention is a rejection of politicians that has been amplified by recent [political] scandals. It also illustrates voters' disillusion over the ability of politicians to change things."
In his book, La France au Front, published last month, Pascal Perrineau, professor at the Sciences Po university and president of Cevipof, argued that the FN had prospered for the past 30 years on the "disillusions, rejections and worries" of the French: "It's a propitious moment: now more than ever, the economic and social crisis has accentuated the discredit of the two major government forces."
After Sunday's results, he said the FN result followed a "series of convergence" and had been boosted by recent scandals. "For weeks when we have spoken about politics it was with the background accompaniment of [corruption] affairs and lies," he told French radio.
"Also these municipal elections are taking part in a France in a profound economic and social crisis. If you look, the FN has a very good scores in those areas most affected."
Analysts agreed the vote was a slap in the face for François Hollande, who has become one of France's most unpopular presidents ever within two years of taking office.
"For the last few days the majority has hoped that local concerns will form a defence against the wave of discontent on a national level," wrote Grégoire Biseau in Libération.
He said the president had ignored warnings that the "real threat was that the idea of voting FN had become more and more banal".
In Paris, Socialist Anne Hidalgo is still just about on course to become mayor – with the help of the Green/Ecology party – despite more people voting in the first round for her centre-right rival, Nathalie Kosciusko Morizet.
Le Parisien's front page had a picture of Hollande and the headline: "Punished".
It said the election results were: "A monumental rout, a deep rejection and a bloody disavowal."
Nationally, the centre-right UMP party won 47% of the vote, compared with 38% for the ruling Socialists.
Despite his party being riven with disagreements, corruption scandals and a damaging leadership split, Jean-François Copé, president of the centre-right UMP, predicted a "large victory" for the party in the second round.
While the Socialist party has tactically withdrawn from a number of "triangulars"– where three parties are contesting the second round and might split the vote, letting the FN win, the UMP said it would not call on its supporters to back leftwing candidates against the FN.
The prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, said "all democratic forces" should close ranks against the FN.
"Wherever the FN is in a position to win the second round, all who support democracy and the Republic have a duty to prevent them," he said. Reported by guardian.co.uk 6 minutes ago.
Was this the moment the Front National became more than just a protest party?
While France's local elections on Sunday were notable for record voter abstention and a bloody nose for the governing Socialists, it was the far-right party's showing in a crucial European election year that really stood out.
The anti-Europe FN, led by Marine le Pen, fielded candidates in fewer than 600 of France's 36,000 municipalities – and still secured about 5% of the total votes cast at the weekend. As a result, expectations are mounting that it will do extremely well in May's European elections.
The FN secured one mayor elected outright in the northern town of Hénin-Beaumont, a former coalmining area traditionally in Socialist hands, and enough votes to take part in the second-round runoff in nearly 230 municipalities. The FN goes into next Sunday's vote ahead in a number of major and symbolic towns and cities including Avignon, Perpignan and Béziers.
Commentators said the country had been washed by a wave of "bleu Marine" (a play on the FN leader's name and the colour navy blue). Le Monde described it as a "political earthquake".
"The new age of the extreme right" read the headline in the left-leaning Nouvel Observateur magazine. "Even if the FN only ends up with a handful of town halls, it's certainly a historic performance and success for Le Pen's party.
"The FN appears more and more clearly as an alternative, capable of taking responsibility and managing the affairs of a community and this is the greatest success of Marine Le Pen."
France's biggest selling newspaper, Ouest-France, said the FN was now the "third political force" in the country.
Madani Cheurfa, a political analyst at Cevipof, a political research centrethat specialises in local elections, said the results were due to three factors: the increasing gulf between politicians and the voting public, a sense that neither of the mainstream parties had solutions to ordinary people's problems and the recent spate of corruption scandals.
"There is a growing feeling of divorce between politicians and the electorate that has become worse over the last four years," Cheurfa said.
He said a recent Cevipof survey found 87% of those asked thought "politicians didn't think the same way as ordinary people" and 60% said they had no confidence in the left or the right.
"The Front National vote shows signs of being more than just a protest vote," he said. "It suggests that, locally at least, voters are attracted by their ideas and it shows that voters believe they understand the problems of local people and are convinced an FN candidate is capable of running their town."
"At the moment we are seeing the beginning of the multi-polarisation of political life, but we will have to see if the [FN] success can be repeated in a national election, such as the legislatives in 2017.
"Only then will we see whether the FN is considered an alternative to the Parti Socialist and the UMP. And by 2017 they will have been able to show if they can run a town and if they have the necessary legitimacy to become the third party."
Frédéric Dabi, of the opinion pollsters Ifop, agreed: "The rise in abstention is a rejection of politicians that has been amplified by recent [political] scandals. It also illustrates voters' disillusion over the ability of politicians to change things."
In his book, La France au Front, published last month, Pascal Perrineau, professor at the Sciences Po university and president of Cevipof, argued that the FN had prospered for the past 30 years on the "disillusions, rejections and worries" of the French: "It's a propitious moment: now more than ever, the economic and social crisis has accentuated the discredit of the two major government forces."
After Sunday's results, he said the FN result followed a "series of convergence" and had been boosted by recent scandals. "For weeks when we have spoken about politics it was with the background accompaniment of [corruption] affairs and lies," he told French radio.
"Also these municipal elections are taking part in a France in a profound economic and social crisis. If you look, the FN has a very good scores in those areas most affected."
Analysts agreed the vote was a slap in the face for François Hollande, who has become one of France's most unpopular presidents ever within two years of taking office.
"For the last few days the majority has hoped that local concerns will form a defence against the wave of discontent on a national level," wrote Grégoire Biseau in Libération.
He said the president had ignored warnings that the "real threat was that the idea of voting FN had become more and more banal".
In Paris, Socialist Anne Hidalgo is still just about on course to become mayor – with the help of the Green/Ecology party – despite more people voting in the first round for her centre-right rival, Nathalie Kosciusko Morizet.
Le Parisien's front page had a picture of Hollande and the headline: "Punished".
It said the election results were: "A monumental rout, a deep rejection and a bloody disavowal."
Nationally, the centre-right UMP party won 47% of the vote, compared with 38% for the ruling Socialists.
Despite his party being riven with disagreements, corruption scandals and a damaging leadership split, Jean-François Copé, president of the centre-right UMP, predicted a "large victory" for the party in the second round.
While the Socialist party has tactically withdrawn from a number of "triangulars"– where three parties are contesting the second round and might split the vote, letting the FN win, the UMP said it would not call on its supporters to back leftwing candidates against the FN.
The prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, said "all democratic forces" should close ranks against the FN.
"Wherever the FN is in a position to win the second round, all who support democracy and the Republic have a duty to prevent them," he said. Reported by guardian.co.uk 6 minutes ago.