The far-right Front National party has dramatically increased its share of the vote in France’s local elections.
Exit polls from last night show that the party now has 7% of the vote – a massive gain considering it only has representation in 600 of the 36,000 local French constituencies where voting took place.
The FN’s electoral success means that the balance has tipped in favour of the centre-right opposition by 48% compared with just 43% for the ruling Socialist party.
FN President Marine Le Pen, the youngest daughter of long-time leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, said: “The Front National has arrived as a major independent force – a political force both at national and local level.”
