Far-right triumph shakes French press

"A political earthquake", cried France's major newspapers in unison following the shock successes and failures of Sunday's presidential elections.

The problem was that while electioneering for his own camp, Jacques Chirac simultaneously gave Jean-Marie Le Pen a raison-d'etre

Le Monde

The left-wing Liberation declared France had become the "shame of democracy" and that its people "were playing with fire" by lending their support to the extreme-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, who saw off Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin in the first round of the ballot.

Newspapers from across the political spectrum however agreed that the left had contributed to its own downfall by putting up so many candidates, and splitting the vote to such extent that Mr Jospin was left without the backing needed to make the second round.

"Taken as a whole, the left's result was more than respectable," noted the centre-left Le Monde. "This was a rout which it could have avoided."

Liberation meanwhile drew a parallel with the Italian political situation, where bitter divisions among the left paved the way for the right-wing coalition of Silvio Berlusconi to enter government last year.

Poor campaign

Record abstention rates as a result of voter disillusionment had graver implications for the left than for the right, said the right-wing daily Le Figaro.

But the paper also rebuked Mr Jospin, saying he had failed to convey a clear political message to the French people.

Le Monde agreed: "He never gave the impression of having mastered his campaign, which started off in the centre ground, ended on the left and was permeated by poorly calculated remarks, for examples those on the age of Jacques Chirac."

But many of the papers say Mr Chirac played a key role in the surprising success of Mr Le Pen.

Jean-Marie Le Pen didn't even have to bother to defend his ideas

Le Parisien

Le Parisien argues that Mr Chirac helped Mr Le Pen by putting so much emphasis on the theme of law and order - a theme which, after immigration, forms the central plank of Mr Le Pen's political manifesto.

"The problem was that while electioneering for his own camp, Jacques Chirac simultaneously gave Jean-Marie Le Pen a raison-d'etre," wrote Le Monde.

"Jacques Chirac essentially campaigned for him."

Le Parisien agreed.

"This time, the champion of the right didn't even have to bother to defend his ideas."