'A grave moment for France': National Front sweeps to victory in Paris leaving Socialist government fighting for life - and in Germany a neo-Nazi is elected for first time in decades

FN leader Marine Le Pen heralded victory for 'sovereign people of France'

Results so far guarantee FN around a third of France's 74 seats



Prime Minister Manuel Valls described result as 'a shock, an earthquake'

President Francois Hollande holds 'urgent' talks with ministers after poll

Germany faces having first far-Right candidate in decades

Anti-Islamic party wins more than a quarter of vote in Denmark

Radical left and far-Right in Greece both perform well

Beppe Grillo's Five Star movement beaten into second place in Italy



Francois Hollande has held an emergency meeting with his ministers this morning after a far-Right 'earthquake' saw the National Front triumph in France and voters across Europe turn to extremists and anti-EU parties.

With 80 per cent of ballots counted, the French interior ministry said that the anti-immigrant party led by Marine Le Pen took 26 percent of the vote, pushing President Hollande’s Socialist Party into third place with just under 14 percent.

It is the first time the party – which wants to cut immigration drastically and reduce the influence of Islam – has come first in a nationwide election in its 40-year history. Results so far have guaranteed the party around a third of France's 74 seats in the European Parliament.

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Marine Le Pen arrives to attend a meeting gathering party leaders at the FN's headquarters in Nanterre, outside Parids following her successful night

The morning after: French President Francois Hollande arrives for an urgent meeting with members of his government after the far-Right National Front pushed his party into third

Right-wing parties also gained ground in Austria, Demark and Greece, early poll results suggested.

German chancellor Angela Merkel said the rise of right-wing groups was 'remarkable and regrettable' and called for policies that could create jobs and improve competitiveness.

'That goes for France too,' she said in Berlin.



President Francois Hollande's office said he would hold urgent talks today with top government ministers in what French media called a crisis meeting.



Speaking before the meeting, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said it was ‘a political earthquake in France’ and ‘a very grave moment for France and for Europe’, while ecology minister Segolene Royale said: ‘It’s a shock on a global scale.

Mr Valls and the others in the meeting at the Elysée Palace did not speak on their way out.

He had earlier said that the verdict of voters showed how important it was for his government to push through the spending cuts and tax cuts it has been promising, and vowed to reduce income tax for workers.



MEANWHILE IN SWEDEN... ANTI-FASCIST FEMINISTS WIN SEAT

Exit polls suggest Sweden's Feminist Initiative Party has entered the European Parliament for the first time. Poll results by the public service broadcaster SVT suggested 7 percent of Swedes backed the feminist party, which wants to boost the rights of women and minorities in the European Union. The party has presented itself as counterweight to EU right-wing movements with the slogan 'Out with the racists! In with the feminists!' The Feminist Initiative's main candidate, Soraya Post, told cheering supporters in Stockholm: ' You know that we have created history don't you? We inspire the world. This is the force of love!'

The poll showed far-right Sweden democrats with 7 percent support compared to 3.3 percent in 2009. The Green Party surged to 17.1 per cent from 11 per cent in 2009, possibly surpassing the ruling Moderate Party as the second most popular Swedish party after the Social Democrats.

'There is not a single minute to lose,' he said, appearing on French television.



'I owe you the truth. We need to show courage because France must reform. For too long, left and right together, we have avoided deeply addressing things.'

Mr Valls said that he would not resign following the vote, despite Ms Le Pen's suggestion that he should step down, and that his policies would not change as a result.

'I am convinced that Europe could be re-oriented to increase support for growth and employment, which it hasn't done in years,' he told French radio.

'We need time and I demand this time. We must not let down our guard, to refuse our responsibilities, to make place for the extreme right.'

'We are not going to add to the identity crisis, the moral crisis that France is going through.'

He added: 'Our only mission is to continue our work to repair the country. If we don't do this, we would not live up to our responsibilities.'



The French result was the most striking of a number of successes for far-Right and anti-EU parties. Chillingly, there were signs a neo-Nazi candidate for the NPD party could be elected in Germany, giving the far-Right a foothold for the first time in decades.

Jubilant: French National Front leader Marine Le Pen reacts to exit polls revealing her party won the election

Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls, pictured casting his vote, said the result was 'a shock, an earthquake'

In Greece, the anti-Europe Syriza party topped the poll with 26.49 per cent of the vote and the extreme right Right Golden Dawn looked set to enter the European Parliament for the first time, with three seats and 9.3 per cent of the vote.

The party – which denies claims it is a criminal organisation with a neo-Nazi ideology – came third overall in Greece.

The anti-Islam Danish People’s Party came first in that country’s elections.

In the Netherlands however, the right-wing Eurosceptic Party for Freedom surprisingly dropped a seat from five to four. Its outspoken leader, Geert Wilders, said his party looked forward to working with Ms Le Pen in Europe, calling her 'the next French president'.



The Dutch also returned one representative for the Party for the Animals.

In Italy, the Eurosceptic Five Star movement (M5S) was tipped to come second.

Early projections indicated that Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's centre-left Democratic Party (PD) , had beaten a challenge by the anti-euro 5-Star Movement of firebrand ex-comedian Beppe Grillo.

The centre-left Democrats were forecast to win 40 percent, while Mr Grillo's anti-establishment movement is expected to garner around 22 percent.

Mr Grillo has said in the past his movement would not ally itself with Ms Le Pen's party, claiming the 5-Stars had a different 'DNA'.



Up to a third of voters across Europe were expected to opt for fringe parties opposed to the very institution of the EU in the European Parliamentary elections.

A surge in Euroscepticism led to an increased vote for protest parties – mirroring the impressive showing by Ukip in Britain.

The extreme nature of many of the parties will cause deep concern.

In Germany the anti-Brussels AfD party, which wants to stop using the euro, could get six MEPs, a huge blow to established parties which championed the currency and have branded AfD an unelectable mix of academics and nationalists.

In Dublin, the leader of Ireland's Labour party, the junior partner in government, announced his resignation after voters punished his party in the local and European polls.

The decision by Eamon Gilmore, who is also foreign minister and deputy prime minister, raises new doubts about whether Ireland's two-party government can survive its full five-year term to 2016.



The National Front came a full 11 percentage points ahead of the ruling Socialists in the vote. Miss Le Pen hailed a ‘historic victory’, saying: ‘The sovereign people of France have spoken loud and clear.’

She called on President Hollande to dissolve the government and call elections. She added: ‘The people have taken back the reins of their own destiny. This means policies of the French, for the French, by the French. They do not want to be ruled from outside.’

VICTORY FOR ITALIAN PM AS PARTY BEATS COMIC'S FIVE STAR MOVEMENT

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi was on course for a sweeping victory with voter projections giving his centre-left Democratic Party (PD) a huge lead over the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, lead by ex-comic Beppe Grillo. With more than half the vote counted, a projection by IPR Marketing for RAI state television put the PD on 41.2 percent, well ahead of the 5-Star Movement on 21.4 percent with former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party on 16.6 percent. The result is set to be one of the best ever achieved by an Italian centre-left party and a triumph for the 39-year-old Renzi, who took power three months ago by forcing out his low key predecessor Enrico Letta in a party coup and pledging an ambitious reform programme. A masterful television performer with a direct, rapid-fire way of speaking that contrasts starkly with the opaque language of many older Italian politicians, Renzi, the former mayor of Florence, had never before fought an election at the national level. For Grillo, who fought tirelessly during a bitter campaign and who declared that he would win or give up politics, the result was a stinging defeat following the 25.5 percent he won in last year's national ballot. For Berlusconi, who was barred from voting himself because of his conviction for tax fraud, the result underlines the collapse in his party's fortunes since last year's election.

Anger: The FN has gained traction in France amid a struggling economy despite protests against it (pictured)

Miss Le Pen, 45, took over the party founded by her controversial father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2011.

She claims to have detoxified it, taking it away from its racist and anti-Semitic roots. She called the EU public enemy No 1, and insisted she is no longer a mere loudspeaker for protest voters. She said: ‘The EU nowadays is like the old Soviet Union - it can’t be improved.

‘We need to let it crumble and build after it a Europe of free and sovereign nations.’

ANTI-ISLAM PARTY WIN IN DENMARK

In Denmark, with 95 percent of votes counted, the main government party, the Social Democrats, retained their five seats to remain the biggest party.

But the big winner in the elections was the populist, opposition Danish People's Party, which won three more seats for a total of four, winning nearly 27 percent of the vote .

The anti-Islam Danish People’s Party had campaigned to reclaim border controls and curb benefits to other EU citizens living in Denmark. The DPP has repeatedly distanced itself from French winners Front National – and last night said they hoped to forge an alliance with the British Conservative party.

Denmark's centre-right opposition party Venstre was one of the night's big losers after losing a seat and on course for its worst EU election result in 25 years.

In Germany Udo Voigt, leader of the anti-immigrant National Democratic Party, campaigned on slogans such as ‘Money for granny instead of Sinti and Roma’ and ‘the boat is full’.

Roma and Sinti ethnic groups were among the millions murdered by the Nazis in the Holocaust.

‘We say Europe is the continent of white people and it should remain that way,’ Mr Voigt said.

In Denmark, with 95 percent of votes counted, the main government party, the Social Democrats, retained their five seats to remain the biggest party.

But the big winner in the elections was the populist, opposition Danish People's Party, which won three more seats for a total of four.



Meanwhile, Sweden’s Feminist Initiative Party, whose slogan is ‘replace the racists with feminists’, is set to enter the Parliament for the first time with around 7 per cent of the vote.

Far-Right Sweden Democrats also won around 7 per cent, giving them two seats in the European Parliament .

Leader Jimmie Akesson said its critical stance toward the EU helped it attract votes.



'I think it is good that criticism toward the EU is growing all over Europe,' he said.



However, he would not comment on whether he will cooperate with France's National Front.

'It is one of the parties we are trying to gain an understanding of,' he said.



In Poland, marginal anti-EU politician Janusz Korwin-Mikke was elected to the parliament after declaring that it corrupts politicians and should be turned into a brothel.

Far right: Greece's hard-right Golden Dawn party came third. Pictured: Members protesting in February Far Right: The NPD party in Germany (pictured on a rally earlier this month) looks to have won the country's first ever neo-Nazi seat in the European parliament. The Nazi party of the 1930s was officially 'National Socialists'

The head of Spain's main opposition Socialist party has announced he will step down following dismal results in the European Parliament election.

Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said he took full responsibility for the 'unreservedly bad' results after the Socialists won 14 seats, down from 23 in 2009.

The ruling conservative Popular party won the most seats but it too suffered a drop, from 24 to 16. It was both parties' worst result ever.

Mr Rubalcaba said the Socialists will hold a party congress on July 19-20 to name a new leader, and the 62-year-old would not comment on his own plans.

Many Spaniards blame the Socialists for allowing Spain to slide into economic crisis but are also angry with the Popular Party for imposing tax hikes and cuts.



Experts warn the results could paradoxically make the European Parliament more federalist. The Open Europe think-tank said the parties likely to lose out after the Eurosceptic surge were moderates who think the EU needs reform.

Hardline Europhiles, who believe in greater integration, could escape largely unscathed, while moderate, pro-reform parties see their support base leached away by the surge in anti-EU votes.



Open Europe said this could make it harder for David Cameron as he calls for treaty change and the return of powers from Brussels.

Analyst Pawel Swidlicki said the effect ‘shouldn’t be over-stated’, but added: ‘A more polarised, Commission-hugging European Parliament would further complicate the political landscape, and may prove one of the biggest obstacles to David Cameron’s reform agenda.

‘These elections should serve as a major wake-up call.

‘The EU elite should respond with sweeping reforms. Opting for even more centralisation will only further fuel the anti-EU vote.’

Pro-European parties 'have to take very seriously what is behind the vote', said Martin Schulz of the parliament's Socialist group.

BELGIUM: Across Europe, many people went to polling stations in traditional dress, including this participant of the Saint-Medard parade commemorating Saint-Medard and wearing a uniform of the French Zouaves

GREEK RADICAL LEFTISTS DECLARE 'HISTORIC WIN' AGAINST AUSTERITY

Greek far-left opposition leader Alexis Tsipras declared victory over austerity policies on Monday as final results confirmed his anti-bailout party had won the country's election for the European Parliament. Syriza's victory marked the first time a radical leftist party has won at the national level in modern Greece, although it fell short of the five percentage-point victory margin that could rattle the fragile ruling coalition government. 'This is a historic win,' Mr Tsipras said. 'Today, the whole of Europe is talking about Greece because it condemned austerity.' With just over 99 percent of the vote counted in Greece, Syriza was on 26.6 percent, ahead of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's New Democracy conservatives who took 22.71 percent. The extreme right Golden Dawn party was third with 9.33 percent.

Sunday's ballot was seen as a litmus test of support for Samaras, whose government has imposed hated wage and pension cuts at the behest of EU/IMF lenders bankrolling Greece since taking power in 2012. Following the vote, Mr Tsipras formally requested an early general election, arguing that the country's conservative government now lacks the legitimacy to implement reforms related to international bailouts. He visited Greece's president today to make the request 'to restore the democratic order in the country.'



Guy Verhofstadt, leader of the Liberal caucus, conceded as much but said even after the vote, two-thirds of the MEPs would be 'people who are in favour of the European Union'.

Despite the Eurosceptic gains, established pro-EU parties were forecast to remain the biggest groups in the parliament. The conservative caucus, known as EPP, was forecast to win 211 seats, down from 274, but enough to remain the parliament's biggest group.

Doru Frantescu, policy director of VoteWatch Europe, an independent Brussels-based organisation that tracked opinion polls in the run-up to the elections , said Europe's mainstream political parties won enough seats to still muster a majority on issues where they concur.

'The problem comes when the left, the Socialists and EPP will not agree on issues,' he said.

In the incoming European Parliament, he said, fringe parties will be able to exert more pressure on key topics, ranging from how liberal to make the internal European market for services or the proper mix of energy sources to which clauses should be scrapped in a proposed trade and investment agreement with the US.

'European politics will be different from today on,' said Mr Frantescu.

Mainstream parties may hang on to more than 70 percent of the seats in the 751-member parliament, Mr Frantescu said as returns were still being tallied. When the transnational legislature's two biggest blocs - the conservatives and Socialists - concur, they still should get their way.



However, when they don't, foes of the EU as it now exists will have more votes and access to the parliament's internal machinery to demand that their views be considered.

Traditional: Voters dressed in costumes of the German Black Forest arrive at a polling station in Hornberg-Reichenbach, southwestern Germany during the elections

Mr Frantescu predicted the trade bloc, now present in many areas of Europeans' lives, will also interpret the election outcome as meaning it must refocus its efforts to stimulate Europe's sluggish economy and reduce joblessness.



'The signal sent by the electorate is that clearly it wants the European Union to be more effective, it wants it to deliver more results to the citizens, it wants it to solve economic issues and unemployment,' Mr Frantescu said.



'These are the reasons for which people have turned toward the far left, toward the far right, toward Euroskeptics in general.'

In a statement issued early today, Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, appeared to agree.



'This is the moment to come together and to define the union's way forward,' he said.



'The concerns of those who voted in protest or did not vote are best addressed through decisive political action for growth and jobs, and through a truly democratic debate.'



Conservative caucus leader Joseph Daul put a brave face on the results.

'One thing remains certain: EPP is the responsible political force in Europe, which keeps Europe open,' he said.

Elections for the European Parliament are held every five years, with hundreds of millions of potential voters in 28 countries.

While Britain and the Netherlands voted on Thursday, and Irish electors on Friday, most countries did not vote until yesterday.



The European Parliament estimated turnout was narrowly up from the last election in 2009, at 43.1 percent, reversing years of declining turnouts.

No country could declare results until the last polling booth closed in Italy at 11pm local time, which was at 10pm UK time.