The French political establishment, the Gaullist UMP and Socialists, were in disarray last night after the far-Right Front National convincingly won the EU election to become France's largest political party in the EU assembly.
"It will mean that France would disappear from Europe's political scene. It would be a tragedy for our country," warned Alain Lamassoure, representing the opposition centre-Right UMP for the Paris area.
Socialist sources close to President Hollande spoke of "a new crisis of authority" and market turbulence for his beleaguered administration that struggling to pull France out of recession.
"Tonight is the start of the crisis. The shock in Europe and the world will be very violent if the far-Right comes first in France," said a senior aide.
President Hollande has called a crisis cabinet meeting on Monday morning to discuss his government's response to the biggest political upheaval in a generation.
Manuel Valls, the Socialist prime minister, described the result as a "very grave moment for France and Europe".
"This result is more than a new warning: it's a shock, an earthquake," he said.
Reported in the Telegraph
Reported in the Telegraph
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