Luxembourg Europe rang the alarm bell today over the far- right National Fronts historic score in the French presidential election, the latest anti- EU party to make big gains on the continent.
Germany led a chorus of concerns afte
r National Front ( FN) leader Marine Le Pen finished third with a surprising 18 percent of the vote in yesterdays first round.
” This high score is alarming but I expect it will be ironed out in the second round,” said a spokesman for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, adding that she continued to support French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the election.
Le Pens strong showing was not enough to take her to the May 6 runoff but it shocked European Union foreign ministers holding talks in Luxembourg the day after the vote.
Danish Foreign Minister Villy Sovndal said the French election result was ” extremely worrisome” and followed the rise of the farright across Europe, including in his own country and Finland.
Swedish counterpart Carl Bildt said: ” Ialt39m concerned with the sentiments that we see that are against open societies, against an open Europe, that does worry me, not only in France.” Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said Sarkozy was partly to blame for Le Pens success after he campaigned for tighter immigration controls. ” If you repeat every day that we must change Schengen, that we must have a strong immigration policy, that we have to speak about French exception, this is all grist for the FN mill,” said Asselborn, a socialist. Belgiums Didier Reynders said farright gains in France ” is always a concern” in the continent.
– AFP
