French far right sees record score in first poll since attacks

France’s far-right National Front (FN) pulled off a historic win on Sunday, topping the vote in the first round of regional elections, in a breakthrough that shakes up the country’s political landscape before 2017 presidential elections. Boosted by fears over the Islamic State attacks that killed 130 people in Paris just three weeks ago, the FN scored the highest ever for the anti-Europe, anti-immigration party. Leader Marine Le Pen and her 25-year-old niece Marion Marechal-Le Pen tapped into voter anger over a stagnant economy and security fears linked to Europe’s refugee crisis.

If we fail, Islamist totalitarianism will take power in our country.

Marine Le Pen

While the FN is well placed to win one or more regions in the Dec. 13 run-off, the Socialist party lowered its chances of doing so by announcing that it was pulling its candidates out of the race there and in the southeast. Victories next week would not only hand control of a regional government to the FN for the first time, but would also give Marine Le Pen a springboard for her presidential bid in 2017. President Francois Hollande has seen his personal ratings surge as a result of his hardline approach since the attacks, but  his Socialist Party has languished behind the FN and the centre-right Republicans.

Politics France election