brignoles

The Front National party victory in a by-election in Brignoles mirrors a surge in support for the far-right shown in opinion surveys.

Decisive win came despite calls from President François Hollande’s Socialist Party for Left to rally behind conservative UMP candidate.

The southern town of Brignoles is in the spotlight as far-right Front national looks to achieve by-election victory on Sunday.

The elimination of the Left in the first round of voting in a recent local by-election in which the Front National came top has sparked fevered speculation about how Marine Le Pen's far-right party is likely to perform in next year's crucial municipal elections. A recently-published and detailed analysis of voting trends suggests the FN could have a major role to play in some areas. But, as Mathieu Magnaudeix reports, the study says the outcome will probably depend on how well the economy performs between now and next spring.

Left candidate eliminated in first round as Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front top the polls in local council by-election.