Marine Le Pen ahead of the centrist party of Macron, according to exit polls in France | Policy

The far-right party of the National Rally of Marine Le Pen dominated the vote for the European elections in France, laying a blow to the pro-European and centrist president, Emmanuel Macron.

Post-polling polls showed that Le Pen's party came in first with around 23% of the vote, ahead of Macron's centrist group with around 21%.

The Pen said she was "thrilled" and called the result "victory for the people". She called on Macron to dissolve the French Parliament and to call new parliamentary elections, which the centrist ruling party, Macron, dismissed.

The result is symbolically damaging to Macron as he sits at the center of a personal and deadly election campaign, posing as a champion of Europe and defining the vote as an existential struggle between progressives. pro-European and eurosceptic, far-right nationalists.

The French prime minister, Édouard Philippe, said he was "lowered" by the result, warning that the far right was "an election after election, rooted in the French political landscape." He said that it was not enough to call the far-right vote a reflex of "anger", but rather that it was clear that people were turning to "extreme solutions" To their problems. He said the centrist government was determined to make politics "more humane" and to provide political "results" to counter this rise of the far right.

The vote was the first mid-term test for Macron and his centrist party, after six months of yellow vest (yellow vest), anti-government demonstrations that led to riots, deaths and injuries throughout France.

France had an unexpected turnout, estimated at more than 50% – the highest in decades – and higher than the last parliamentary elections.

The Green Party achieved a high score with over 12% of the vote and the old ruling parties, left and right, confirmed their decline. The Republicans, the right-wing party of Nicolas Sarkozy, won only about 8% and was beaten by the Greens.

On Sunday, while the voters went to the polls, it was clear that the participation rate was high in the areas strongly supported by Le Pen, particularly in the Pas-de-Calais in the north and in Picardy, as well as rural where the yellow vest protests on the roundabouts began last fall.

The French far-right election campaign, headed by a young candidate from the Paris suburbs, Jordan Bardella, has steadily gained support since January. Bardella, 23, is on the cusp of becoming one of the youngest members of the European Parliament.

Le Pen, who replaced his father's far-right party in 2011 and recently changed his name, is used to organizing European election campaigns as a national protest vote against those in power – his party was also the first in the 2014 European elections.

The Pen presented this campaign as the ultimate protest vote – the main message of his party was "Stop Macron" – call it a referendum against the young centrist leader whose popularity has collapsed.

The Pen no longer wants France to leave the EU in a so-called Frexit – nor the European currency. Alongside other populist, far-right and national allies, such as the Italian Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, she seeks to undo the block from within, promoting what is happening. it calls "a union of national states".

Coming ahead of the European vote was personally very important to Le Pen, as his status within his party depends on it. She struggled to recover from a final televised presidential televised debate against Macron two years ago in the 2017 presidential final. A high score in the European elections would allow her to reaffirm her position within her own party and get his candidacy for the next presidential race. in 2022. It is also important that Le Pen positions itself within its new group of international allies, including the Italian Salvini.

Steve Bannon, Donald Trump's former strategist at the White House, who described himself as an informal adviser to nationalist parties in Europe, arrived in France during the election campaign saying "among all the elections which take place this weekend in Europe ", those in France were" by far the most important ". He predicted "an earthquake" for Le Pen, saying that Salvini, Le Pen and Nigerian Nigel Farage could lead four of the largest political parties in the European Parliament.

Macron called the elections "the most important since 1979", warning that the EU faces "existential risk" from nationalists seeking to divide the bloc.

In theory, second place does not change Macron's ability to govern at home, where he still has a large parliamentary majority. But having bet so personally on the campaign – including appearing alone on election posters – second place is a symbolic setback for the realization of his pro-business project to reshape the welfare state at home, as well as as its ability to influence the European debate.

The Paris government is preparing several major political changes, including the unemployment benefit system and pensions, and protests against the yellow jacket continue, even though the number of protesters is declining.