National Front makes strong showing in French regional elections

Marine Le Pen, the current president of the Front National, younger daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, and Member of the European Parliament

 In the first round of French cantonal elections held last Sunday the anti-immigrant (particularly Muslim) Front National (or National Front) scored an average 15.56% of the vote, but much higher in some areas including 28% in the Bouches-du-Rhone département which includes Marseille.  The second round (in which the choice is the top 2 candidates where a candidate did not get over 50% of the vote) is next Sunday.

From a report on the France 2 website:

Les principal figures of the FN in the 1st round

1,440: number of candidates présentéd by the FN in the first round in 2,026 cantons

15.56%: score obtained at the end of the 1st round

402: number of cantons in which the FN will be in the 2nd round

39: number of cantons in which the FN came first
5: number of three-cornered contests FN-UMP-PS
204: number of duels FN-PS (Parti Socialiste)
37: number of duels FN-PC (Parti Communiste)
23: number of duels FN-diverse leftists

2: number of duels FN-Verts (Greens)

Highest scores of the FN

Nord: 23,09 %
Pas-de-Calais: 22,86 %
L'Oise: 24,84 %

Bouches-du-Rhône: 28,20 %
Var: 27,60 %
Alpes-Maritimes: 27,02 %
Vaucluse: 26,13%
Gard: 25,07 %
Aube: 24,88 %
Hérault: 23,40 %
Seine-et-Marne 21,64%
Val-d'Oise: 20,18%