Despite leading in six out of 13 regions in the first round of the French regional elections on 6 December, Marine Le Pen’s Front National finished in third place on Sunday. Chris Terry writes that this swing of fortunes is in a large part due to the two round electoral system used, which in many instances has resulted in the party being blocked from representation despite regularly winning upwards of 10% of the vote. He argues that by allowing this ‘blocking’ France runs the risk of furthering FN voters’ disenchantment with the system.
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