In the short term, Hollande managed to protect his key constituency, French farmers, by securing a €1bn increase in the contested common agricultural policy compared with figures proposed in November.
In the French north-west constituency where Ms Le Pen stood, and which includes the former mining town of Hénin-Beaumont captured by the party at municipal elections in March, the National Front this time round grabbed a stunning 33%.Faced with such a defeat, political leaders on both the left and right had no option but to acknowledge a disaster.
Sensing that the Sunni majority were in many ways their most violent and difficult constituency, the French kept them in check by advancing minorities in the army and other security forces.
The new constituency covers all French citizens living in 10 countries in northern Europe Denmarkk (including Greenland), Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and the UK.
Although a more complex figure than he appears, Mr Montebourg plays to the large constituency on the French left which is protectionist, anti-European and anti-American.
A system closer to the French one, with single-member constituencies electing representatives over two rounds, would be more likely to produce sturdy majorities in parliament.
PARISTHE French will vote in single-member constituencies in two rounds, on May 25th and June 1st, to elect a new National Assembly, the lower house of France's parliament.
The opposition is increasingly frightened by Aristide's populism: they call his base of support (in French) le lumpen, while he calls his constituency pep-la (in Creole) -- the people.
A new lycée, a new radio station (French Radio London) and a new electoral constituency including Britain all testify to the exodus, as did the appearance here last week of the French Socialist candidate François Hollande, otherwise known as "Monsieur 75 percent": more on that below.
Many of Mr. Hollande's supporters are from the French-Algerian minority and it was a constituency that paid particular attention to his trip and his words.
