European leaders react with shock to French vote

There was shock and surprise across Europe today at the success of Jean-Marie Le Pen in the first round of France’s presidential election.

Former Labour leader and EU Commissioner Neil Kinnock said he was astounded and horrified, while the Swedish premier called for a united struggle ‘‘against right wing extremist politics and xenophobia’’.

Newspapers splashed headlines about Le Pen across their front pages, describing his second-place finish with shock and dismay.

Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet called the election ‘‘an insult to democracy,’’ while a headline in Rome daily La Repubblica read: ‘‘France, Earthquake Le Pen.’’

Le Pen and incumbent French President Jacques Chirac, a conservative, took the top two slots in yesterday’s first round election and will face each other in the May 5 run-off.

It was a major upset, as Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin had been widely expected to advance to the next round.

In Sweden, Prime Minister Goeran Persson was quoted by Dagens Nyheter newspaper as saying that ‘‘all democratic forces must be united against right wing extremist politics and xenophibia.’’

Greek government spokesman Christos Protopappas said the rise of the far right shows ‘‘a danger for democracy, for social cohesion and the perspective of Europe.’’ His remarks appeared in Eleftherotypia newspaper.

Mr Kinnock said he was ‘‘astounded and horrified’’ by Le Pen’s success. The result ‘‘throws a great dirty rock into the European political pool,’’ he said.

Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel said he was ‘‘saddened that a non-democrat made it into the second round of the elections.

‘‘Fortunately, Jacques Chirac, who has always opposed Le Pen, is leading and he will win the elections,’’ Mr Michel said.

After the first round voting yesterday, polls showed Chirac could get three-quarters of the second-round vote on May 5.

In Copenhagen, the governing Liberal Party’s foreign policy spokesman Troels Lund Poulsen said the outcome was ‘‘a shocking experience.’’

‘‘I see the election result as an expression of powerlessness and that French politicians have not been in sufficient dialogue with the electorate,’’ the Danish politician said, citing low voter turnout.

The abstention rate in the election was nearly 28% - a record in France.