French parties scramble to halt rise of far-right National Front

France's mainstream political parties were scrambling for a way to stop the rise of the far-right National Front (FN) today after its historic first-round lead in regional elections.

Boosted by fears over the Islamic State militant attacks that killed 130 people in Paris on Nov. 13, Marine Le Pen's party secured 27.7 percent of the vote nationally.

The National Front came first in six of 13 regions in Sunday's vote, its best showing ever. The anti-Europe, anti-immigration party has been gaining ground for years among voters frustrated by the government's failure to tackle unemployment, fearful of immigration and disillusioned by mainstream politics.

Riding a wave of euroscepticism and anti-immigrant feeling which has brought far-right parties to prominence across Europe, the breakthrough bolsters Le Pen's position as a serious contender for the 2017 presidential election.

Some 16 percent of those who voted for the FN said they had changed their voting intentions after the Nov. 13 attacks, an exit poll published on Monday said.

Sixty-eight percent said their aim had been to punish the unpopular Socialist government of President Francois Hollande, the poll by Ifop and Fiducial for...