Historic gains for France's far-right in local elections

[FarCenter]

France’s far-right National Front party (FN) hailed an “exceptional” showing in the first round of the country’s local elections Sunday, after winning historic levels of support in a number of towns and cities.

Early estimates showed FN candidates leading in the eastern town of Forbach and the southern towns of Fréjus, Avignon, Perpignan, Villeneuve-sur-Lot and Beziers, putting the party in pole position for the second round of voting on March 30th.

The news was even better for the FN in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont, where the party’s candidate Steeve Briois took a majority of the vote at 50.26 percent, making him the outright winner and mayor.

Under municipal election rules in France, any candidate who gets more than 50 percent is declared the winner and there is no need for a second round.

Nationwide, the FN scored seven percent of the vote, according to pollster BVA – a high national tally, given that it only fielded candidates in some 600 of France's total 36,000 municipalities.

FN leader Marine Le Pen said it had an been “exceptional” election for the party.

“The National Front has arrived as a major independent force – a political force both at the national and local level," Le Pen told TF1 television.

http://www.france24.com/en/20140323-historic-gains-frances-far-right-local-elections-national-front/

[Zorra]

1. "The position of the Socialist Party is very clear: we will do everything we can to stop

an FN candidate from winning a municipality," party spokeswoman Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said on France 2 television."

Good policy. Right wingers should always be prevented from holding any office anywhere.

[Democracyinkind]

2. More to come next weekend during the second round.

At this pace, the heirs of Vichy might even get a chance at the Elysee once Hollande is run out of there.

Meanwhile, le patron keeps on denying the Holocaust.

We live in interesting times.

[PumpkinAle]

3. That is pretty scary

if the Right do get a foothold there will be another country brought to its knees and desecrated for the 1%.

[dipsydoodle]

4. France to maintain reforms despite local vote losses - Moscovici

(Reuters) - President Francois Hollande's government will pursue economic reforms and efforts to narrow the public deficit despite losses suffered in the first round of town hall elections, Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said on Monday.

"On the reforms, we have to keep calm and show courage," Moscovici told Europe 1 radio. "We are ready to take all the measures needed for France to remain a credible country," he added, noting Paris would send to the European Union details of planned public spending measures on April 15 as scheduled.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/03/24/uk-france-elections-reforms-idUKBREA2N0BA20140324