The Right celebrate in France

The right are celebrating a major victory in the first round of the French legislative elections today with first estimates suggesting that the UMP - supporters of President Jacques Chirac - and its allies had won more than 43 per cent of the vote.

If French voters make a consistent choice in next Sunday's final round then President Chirac will be able to count on an overall majority of over130 in the 577-seat National Assembly. But with a record 36per cent abstention rate, and with only a small minority of deputies elected in the first round, there could still be surprises.

Yesterday the Socialist opposition, led by Francois Hollande did even worse than expected, and the Socialists, with around 26per cent of the vote, now stand to lose more than 100 seats.

The extreme-Right, led by Jean Marie Le Pen's Front National, won only 12per cent of the vote, well below their leader's score in last month's presidential election. There was more bad news for Mr Le Pen. Even in the regions where support for the extreme-Right seemed highest, Marseille and Provence, Alsace and Lorraine and the industrial North, Front National results were disappointing. Since the high abstention rate means that very few three-sided contests will be fought in the second round, Le Pen's party, which held no seats in the last Assembly, is now likely to fight on in only 30 seats.

Bruno Gollnisch, Le Pen's deputy leader, blamed the Front National's poor showing on abstentions. If he is correct this confirms the view that last month's record vote for Le Pen was a protest against the policies of the outgoing Socialist government rather than a swing to the extreme-Right.

The Communist Party, coalition partners in the last government, also suffered a crushing defeat last night with early returns showing that they had won about five per cent of the vote. The chief winner of yesterday's first round is undoubtedly President Chirac.

No fear of the tide turning in Britain