A high abstention rate would be a nightmare for the establishment.
Earlier polling suggested his cause would be helped by a high abstention rate, with many opponents fearful of being tagged as foes and others planning to boycott the whole thing.
Analysts say that Mr. Le Pen, a 73-year-old former paratrooper, benefited from a high abstention rate and from the large number of candidates in the first round of voting, which splintered the vote.
Even some towns in the Paris region, which had been governed by Communist Party since the second world war, such as Villejuif, swung to the right.The centre-right UMP was the primary beneficiary of this disillusion, and of a high abstention rate.
"The high abstention rate isn't a Greek phenomenon, it is a global phenomenon.
But aided by the high abstention rate and a huge field of 16 candidates, Mr. Le Pen edged out Mr. Jospin by getting 17percentt of the vote.
But particularly in leftist Emilia-Romagna, the high abstention rate carried a troubling message for the government: while delighting middle-class voters with his business-friendly policies, Mr Renzi risks losing the PD's traditional voter base.It is on the right, however, that the reverberations are largest.
Socialists cautioned against complacency, especially given the record high abstention rate.
High abstention rates led to efforts to encourage voter participation by making voting easier.
France's departmental elections, characterised by high abstention, have rarely provoked such excitement and suspense.
