Paris - France's far-right National Front was defeated in a National Assembly by-election yesterday, the third time in 17 months its ambitions to gain a foothold in parliament have been narrowly frustrated.
Socialist Ms Odette Casanova edged out Ms Cendrine Le Chevallier, the wife of the National Front mayor of the Mediterranean port city of Toulon, the biggest French municipality controlled by the anti-immigrant movement. She won 51.5 per cent of the votes.
Mr Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front, which advocates sending home millions of immigrants, has no seat in parliament although it polls around 15 per cent of the votes in national elections.