Analysis: Why right-wing victory in France shook Europe

The surprising victory of Marine Le Pen’s Front National extreme-right party in France’s European elections suggests a collapse of national trust in the traditional parties – not anti-European sentiment, said French journalist and political analyst Agnes Poirier. In an opinion piece on CNN, Poirier said Le Pen’s victory shows diminishing trust in the Right and Left parties which governed France for three generations. While the Front National extreme-right party won 25.41% of the vote, former president Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP party only garnered 20.77%, while President François Hollande’s Socialist Party got 13.97%. Is anti-European sentiment behind the extreme right vote? Exit polls showed domestic concerns dominated the issue: only 22% of Le Pen voters said they wanted out of the European Union, while the top two reasons cited were a need for a change and a protest against traditional parties. Poirier said this shows French voters are searching for “fresh and untarnished” politicians not embroiled in scandal and intrigue.

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