Excerpt:
France's far-right National Front (FN) on Monday stood at the gates of power in several regions after record scores in the first round of elections, held just three weeks after the Paris attacks.
Marine Le Pen's party finished top in six of 13 regions on Sunday, from the economically depressed north where she is standing, to the sun-drenched south where her 25-year-old niece is in poll position.
Le Pen on Monday hailed a "magnificent" result and blasted the traditional political elite "at a time when dark clouds are gathering over France, from the economy and from the risk of being submerged by migrants".