France’s hard right says ‘without question’ it is the first party of France

France's hard-right Front National party today took another step toward mainstream acceptance, winning a larger proportion of the vote than any other party in the first round of regional elections. 

FN leader Marine Le Pen gave a triumphant victory speech, declaring this the start of a new era in politics where her ideas would dominate. On Twitter she warned of the end of the "crumbling"  "old political class."

The FN won 28 percent of the vote, ahead of the centre-right Republican party of Nicolas Sarkozy, who polled 27 percent. The ruling Socialist party of Francois Hollande managed only 26 percent. The Socialists have since announced that they will not contest the next round of voting in some areas, in order to allow supporters of mainstream parties to rally around a single candidate. 

Le Pen's success is widely seen as part of a reaction to the Paris attacks last month. The FN has focused for years on the "threat" posed by immigration, and particularly immigration from the Arab world. 

"A lot of people associate immigrants with terrorism, so the fact that she wants to have less immigrants appeals to a lot of people," says Paris-based journalist Stefan De Vries. 

She already had support on these issues prior to the November 13 atacks, he says, but after the attacks, her support "skyrocketed."    

Following the attacks, Le Pen also accused Hollande of a lack patriotism, and of failing to protect France with his government's policies on immigration.