Far Right Does Amazingly Well in French Election

Marine Le Pen may not have made it into the runoff round of France's presidential election, but she was arguably the biggest winner of the night, bringing in between 18% and 20% of the vote. It was the best-ever showing for the far-right National Front, even surpassing her father's 17% in 2002, reports the Guardian. Le Pen promised to pull France out of the euro and the passport-free Schengen zone, and reduce immigration to just 10,000 people per year. "This first round is the start of a vast gathering of right-wing patriots," she told cheering supporters, shortly before bursting into "La Marseillaise."

A 43-year-old lawyer, Le Pen is a relative newcomer on the French political scene. But with a strong third-place showing—Francois Hollande took about 28.5% of the vote, Nicolas Sarkozy around 26%—Le Pen could be a key figure in the runoff round of the elections in two weeks. A previous poll found that 48% of those that backed Le Pen would shift their vote to Sarkozy, and 24% would cast a ballot for Hollande. (More Marine Le Pen stories.)