Protests after French poll shock

The result stunned the French political world

France has been convulsed by the unexpected success of the far-right politician, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in the first round of the country's presidential election.

There have been demonstrations in several French cities overnight to protest at the swing to the right in the country's presidential elections.

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Riot police fired tear gas in Paris to disperse a crowd.

With nearly all the votes now counted in the first round of the contest, the National Front candidate, Jean Marie Le Pen is second behind Jacques Chirac in the race for the presidency.

The Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin who came third says he will now retire from politics.

Our correspondent Jon Sopel said the result was very unexpected and that Jospin ran an appalling campaign. He also said the socialist vote was fractured because of the high number of left wing candidates. Breakfast spoke to Michel De Rostolan from the National Front. He said:

"We aren't a racist party, part of the problem, however, is immigration..."

We have won already, there is voter apathy, it says there is problems in France...30% have not voted, we aren't a racist party...part of the problem is immigration...we have to give the jobs to French people first, and if there are any left then to the others.

Breakfast also spoke to Pierre LeQuillier, a Gaullist MP. He said:

All the families in France are concerned about security...there's an apathy with the police...Le Pen has capitalised on this...Chirac needs to continue the campaign he started...the republican camp will gather around him...France is the result of 5th May when Chirac will win.

On Breakfast this morning Dominique Moisi from the French Institute of International Relations gave us this assessment:

Nobody expected this result, it is a severe warning, Chirac will be president...30% people abstained, many will be wondering what they are doing in France, hopefully the world cup will show people that France is multicoloured.

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It's being seen as one of the most shocking upsets in French electoral history. Last night Mr Chirac warned that French "national unity and values" were now at stake. So exactly what kind of man is Monsieur Le Pen...?

The former paratrooper has been written off as a 'has-been' many times, but Jean-Marie Le Pen is a political survivor.

He's contested four Presidential elections since 1974, and has come fourth in the last two.

Under the slogan "France for the French", he has called for the repatriation of immigrants - blaming them repeatedly for many of the country's problems - among them crime and unemployment.

Regarded by his critics as a racist, he's dismissed the Holocaust as "a detail of history".

Although a member of the European Parliament for 16 years, Le Pen has always been opposed to the European Union, wanting France to pull out.

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Jospin announced that he would quit politics

In the most staggering election result in European politics in years, Mr Le Pen won enough votes to take on Jacques Chirac to become the President of France.

With nearly all of the votes counted, it has become clear that the Socialist Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, has been eliminated as incumbent President Chirac's rival in round two on 5 May.

Speaking after it appeared that he would be knocked out of the poll, Mr Jospin said the result had come as a bolt of thunder and that he would quit politics after the second round of the election.

His party later called for its supporters to back conservative President Chirac in the second round to prevent an unexpected victory for Mr Le Pen.

The BBC's James Coomarasamy in Paris says that although the National Front leader had been climbing in the polls, no-one expected Mr Le Pen would upset the status quo in such a dramatic way.

'Big defeat'

The final polls before the vote put the 73-year-old former paratrooper on 13% or 14%, compared with 18% for Mr Jospin.

With 97.75% of the vote counted, Interior Ministry figures showed Mr Chirac on 19.67%, Mr Le Pen on 17.02% and Mr Jospin on 16.07%.

"It's a big defeat for the two main candidates," Mr Le Pen said on French television.

"There is first and foremost the rejection of the people who have governed them so inefficiently... and then the hope for change."

A lacklustre campaign by the main candidates culminated in a record low turnout on voting day, with nearly 30% staying at home or leaving town to enjoy the warm weather.

But a BBC correspondent in Paris said that many who did not vote did turn up to demonstrate after the preliminary results were announced.

In Paris there were sporadic clashes with riot police.

Correspondents say Mr Le Pen has little chance of victory in round two of the presidential election, but his strong performance is a sign that the National Front could do well in parliamentary elections due in June.

'Cataclysm'

In fourth place, with nearly all of the votes counted, was Francois Bayrou, of the Union for French Democracy, with 6.89%.

Mr Jospin's Finance Minister, former Prime Minister Laurent Fabius, called Mr Le Pen's unexpected triumph "a cataclysm of terrifying proportions".

Chirac has called for unity

President Chirac told his supporters that the preliminary result put in question France's future and its values of respect and tolerance.

"Today, what is at issue is our national unity, the values of the republic to which all we French are deeply attached," he said.

"At issue is the future of France, of even the idea we have of our country, of its great humanist tradition, of its universal calling," he said.

"Also at issue is our capacity to live together and respect each other."

'Lepenisation'

The far-right leader toned down his usual anti-immigrant rhetoric in this campaign, as law and order - his other main preoccupation - came to the fore.

"It's the lepenisation of the campaign," he joked as both Mr Chirac and Mr Jospin called for a tough line on crime.

Voters declared themselves bored with both main candidates, who fought each other in the 1995 presidential election.

Mr Chirac, 69, has been damaged by persistent sleaze allegations, while Mr Jospin, 64, a stiff former professor, is seen as honest but dull.