Both Sarkozy's center-right and Valls's socialists praised a higher turnout on Sunday which thwarted the National Front's hopes of securing any region after a successful first electoral round. Sixteen months ahead of the presidentials, however, support for the National Front continues to grow, along with acceptance of its anti-immigration, eurosceptic and anti-abortion programme. How are they already influencing policy? Why do politics seem so dysfunctional inside the Euro-area's second economy?

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