France's political establishment is in a state of shock following the National Front's first majority in the mayoral election at Vitrolles, north of Marseilles Mrs Catherine Megret's victory has exposed several deep flaws and fears in the loose coalition of republican values that has heretofore bound the mainstream parties together when confronted with the neo fascist party's electoral success. The National Front is drawing substantially on popular disgust with political corruption among these parties, which was a real factor in this contest. And there is now evidence that it may be able to break out of its isolation by attracting backing from supporters of other right wing parties with a view to cultivating electoral alliances with them.
There should be no mistaking the political import of this election, or the character of the victorious party. The National Front, led by Mr Jean Marie le Pen, is an expressly racist organisation, which advocates the expulsion of three million immigrants and the reservation of jobs, housing and welfare for French nationals. It has thrived on the mounting crisis of unemployment and on the relative failure of assimilationist policies followed by successive governments in an effort to absorb the flow of immigrants from North Africa over the last 30 years.
For many of the party's new supporters there is a zero sum relationship between employment and immigration. "France for the French" brings together in one slogan an exclusive definition of nationality and a defence against France's integration within the international capitalist economy. The message is reinforced by a widespread conviction that the political class is riddled with corruption, based on the all too plausible evidence of scandals and court cases in recent years. The party's appeal is bolstered by promises to abolish income tax, cut deeply into public expenditure and defend French sovereignty against the European Union.
The town of Vitrolles exemplified many of these trends and issues. It is a bleak dormitory suburb whose population includes traditional French urban dwellers, unemployed youth, immigrant North Africans and returned colonists. The incumbent Socialist Party mayor had become a byword in the annals of political sleaze after a series of scandals, thus weakening his appeal for those who were asked to vote tactically for him in a high poll. In addition, the victor's husband, Mr Bruno Megret, is a second in command and strategist of the party, a graduate of elite universities and a potential successor as leader.
Efforts are being made to dismiss the significance of the Vitrolles result on the grounds that it reflects exceptional circumstances. But the town joins a considerable list of election successes for the party. It will hope to capitalise on them in next year's parliamentary elections by exploiting gaps in the mainstream parties' defences. If it can break out of its isolation by cultivating more tactical alliances on the right the National Front could improve substantially on its 14-16 per cent level of support. In a difficult year for the government as it prepares France for the single currency, this result may come to be seen not only as a signal but as a turning point.