Le Pen’s far-right party seen topping EU election in France, exit polls show

France’s eurosceptic far-right National Rally party led by Marine Le Pen looks set to finish top in European elections Sunday, two exit polls show, in what would be a major disappointment for pro-European President Emmanuel Macron.

The polls showed the National Rally on track for around 24-24.2 percent, with Macron’s centrist alliance trailing with 22.5-23.0%, according to exit polls from Ifop-Fiducial and Harris Interactive-Agence Epoka.

The head of the National Rally campaign, 23-year-old Jordan Bardella, called the results a “failure” for the LREM ruling party and sought to portray Macron’s defeat as a rejection by voters of his pro-business agenda in France and pro-EU vision.

In a first reaction to the exit polls, an aide to Macron calls the results as indicated by the exit polls “respectable.”

Sources close to the head of state had told AFP before the election that a bad loss to Le Pen could prompt a cabinet reshuffle, with the job of Prime Minister Edouard Philippe seen as in the balance.

Macron had made no secret of the significance he attached to the results, telling regional French newspapers last week that the EU elections were the most important for four decades as the union faced an “existential threat.”

He has jumped into the campaign himself in recent weeks, appearing alone on an election poster in a move that analysts saw as exposing him personally if LREM underperformed.

The score of the National Rally, if confirmed, would be slightly below the level of 2014 when it won 24.9%, again finishing top.

Reflecting a trend seen in other EU countries, the exit polls also showed the green party EEVL led by a former top figure at Greenpeace France making strong gains with a score of 12-12.7%, compared with 8.9% in 2014.

The results, if confirmed later Sunday, would underline the continuing difficulties of France’s traditional center-right Republicans party, which is seen winning 8-8.1%, and the center-left alliance including the Socialist Party, at just 6.3-6.5%.

Turnout has risen considerably to 52-54%, according to nearly complete figures, compared with the last election in 2014 when it was 35.1%, and 2009 when it slumped to 33.2%.

— AFP