The Front National has long been considered a fringe party – a troublesome protest grouping of xenophobes, bigots constituting something of a danger to the French Republic.
Yet on Sunday night, almost a third of those who turned out to vote in regional elections chose the far-Right party, placing it in pole position in at least six regions. The FN is a mere protest party no more.
In the latest political earthquake for France, the country now finds itself with a tripartite political landscape where the FN is no longer a mere troublemaker but can hold its own against the mainstream Right and Left, and increasingly, beat them. That has ominous implications for the resurgent far-Right across Europe. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Monday, December 7, 2015
