Excerpt:
The French far-right National Front made a surprisingly strong showing in regional elections on Sunday prompting leader Jean Marie Le Pen to declare that his party's popularity was on the rise.
Projections showed the National Front picked up close to 12 per cent in the vote to elect councils in France's 26 regions, and even garnered a hefty 20 per cent in the southern Provence and Riviera region.
The 81-year-old leader, who may be running in his last election, appeared jubilant on national television late on Sunday, holding a party poster proclaiming 'No to Islamism' that was declared offensive in a court ruling a few days ago.