France's far-right anti-immigration and anti-EU Front National party is tipped to get 24 percent of the domestic vote in next May's election for the European Parliament, a survey said Wednesday, reports GlobalPost.
The poll came just after the party garnered nearly 50 percent of the vote in a local by-election in a reflection of its rising popularity.
The Ifop survey for the Nouvel Observateur magazine, which polled 1,893 registered French voters on October 4, said the results were a landmark of sorts.
"For the first time in a poll on voting intentions in an election of a national character, the FN is clearly ahead of both the (ruling) Socialist Party and the UMP", the main centre-right opposition party, Ifop said.
The Front National led by Marine Le Pen has gained three percentage points over a similar survey conducted by Ifop in May.
"The French are showing a wish to take their destiny into their hands and give back their country its sovereignty," said FN secretary general Steeve Briois, promising an "unprecedented earthquake" in the elections.
Read more of this AFP report published by GlobalPost.