Le Pen’s anti-immigrant party set for local elections landslide

France’s anti-immigrant National Front was set to win a record number of town halls as early results showed a rout for President François Hollande’s ruling Socialists in local elections yesterday.

Partial tallies and exit polls showed the anti-EU party of Marine Le Pen on track to secure power in 10 town halls around the country, easily surpassing its record in the 1990s when it ruled in four towns. The mainstream right also made gains.

The Socialist losses will raise speculation of a cabinet reshuffle as early as today as Hollande, the most unpopular leader in France’s 56-year-old fifth republic (constitution), seeks to turn around the economy.

An exit poll by BVA showed his allies winning just 42% of the popular vote against 49% for the French right — a result which BVA forecast would translate into a swing of over 100 large towns to conservative rule.

“Clearly we are entering a new phase, the duopoly of French politics has been broken and we must reckon with a third force,” Le Pen said, referring to the fact Socialists and mainstream conservatives have dominated French politics.

Final results showed Le Pen’s National Front won the towns of Beziers, Le Pontet, Frejus, Beaucaire, Le Luc, Camaret-sur-Aigues, and Cogolin in the south, and Villers-Cotteret and Hayange in the north.

In some consolation for Hollande, Socialists looked likely to retain control of Paris city hall, with their candidate Anne Hidalgo due to become the first female mayor there.

But they were set to cede power in cities such as Toulouse, Angers, and Quimper, while the conservative UMP saw off a challenge to its rule in the port of Marseille.

“This is the price of the brave reforms that have been undertaken,” said Pierre Moscovici, the finance minister, referring to pension reforms and tax hikes brought in by Hollande in a bid to narrow France’s public deficit.

“We cannot, and we shall not, remain deaf to the message the French have sent us,” he told national television.