Despite having won six out of 13 regions in the first round of voting on December 6, Le Pen's party did not manage to win powers in a single region after the second round of voting on December 13 — despite winning 6.8 million votes, it's largest ever score.
French President Francois Hollande's Socialists and Nicholas Sarkozy's Republicans were both taken by surprise after the first round of voting, when Le Pen's Party dominated in over half of the regions. The Socialists withdrew candidates in some areas where they knew they would not win, in order to leave the way for a two-horse race which would favor the Republicans.
Meanwhile, Sarkozy moved his rhetoric to the right, saying he sympathized with those thinking of voting for the Front National, in view of the refugee crisis, leading to border closure calls, as well as the terror attacks in Paris.
Former president Sarkozy's Republicans won seven of mainland France's 13 regions, including the key battleground of Ile-de-France, which includes Paris. Hollande's Socialist Party held on to five, after previously holding all bar one.
No Winner, No Defeat
Le Pen had been hoping that the party's first victory ever in regional elections would act as a springboard for her campaign to run for the presidency in 2017. However, she can claim a moral victory, in that her share of the vote shows that she has a strong following and — despite failing to win power in the regionals — her popularity makes her a formidable contender for the race.
The French press said the outcome was not a victory for anyone. The ruling Socialists won in five regions and lost their supremacy, while the Republicans did not benefit particularly for an anti-government vote, which was expected.
Under the headline "Defeat for all", La Croix said: "The National Front will continue its rise until the presidential election."
"Tonight there is no relief, no triumphalism, no message of victory. The danger of the far right has not been removed — far from it — and I won't forget the results of the first round and of past elections," Socialist prime minister, Manuel Valls told reporters.
Le Pen refused to use the word defeat in a speech following the results. Instead, she spoke of the "inexorable rise" saying "nothing would stop us now."
