French elections: Polls put far right National Front on top

“It’s getting closer”, warns French leftist daily Libération on its front page Monday, alongside a blurry picture of France’s National Front leader Marine Le Pen, one day after her far-right party topped the vote in the first round of the country’s regional elections.

The second round of run-off voting this Sunday (Dec. 13) may put a dent in that support, if other parties unite behind a single candidate to prevent the National Front from taking control.

Although the government’s response to the Paris attacks has seen President François Hollande’s approval ratings rise by more than 30 percentage points to 50%, the surge in his personal popularity has so far not translated into greater approval for his Socialist Party.

Former French President and current French right-wing opposition “Les Republicains” party leader Nicolas Sarkozy, center, and former first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy arrive at a polling station in Paris before voting as part of the first round of the regional elections, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015.

The key question will now be whether the Socialists, seen as lying third behind the FN and the Republicans in regions which the far-right could win over on December 13, will pull out of the race in those regions.

That is the highest score ever for the anti-Europe, anti-immigration party, which came first in six regions out of 13.

Far right National Front party regional leader for southeastern France, Marion Marechal-Le Pen delivers her speech as supporters wave flags, at a meeting with supporters, after the first round of the regional elections, in Carp…

“Our duty is not to be paralyzed by the polls and wait for the inevitable to happen, but to fight and fight till Sunday and prove the polls wrong”, she said. “The national movement is now the largest party in France, while it is barely represented in parliament”, Marine Le Pen told TF1 TV channel. Le Pen has worked to reverse its persona as an anti Semitic party under dad and cofounder, Jean-Marie Le Pen, and has tempted in new followers from the left, the standard right and among young folks.

In May a year ago, the party caused shockwaves when it came up top in France’s European elections with 25.41% of the vote – enough to win 23 seats in the European Parliament.

“This is a historic, extraordinary result”, Marion Marechal-Le Pen said.

The elections came as France is under a state of emergency just three weeks after Isil-linked terrorists killed 130 in Paris.

That could be about to change, with National Front candidates ahead in polling in a number of the country’s 13 regions.