National Front leader Marine Le Pen called for the dissolution of the French national assembly on Sunday after exit polls showed her anti-immigrant, Eurosceptic party winning European Parliament elections in France.

“What else can the president do after such a rejection?” Le Pen told reporters at National Front headquarters when asked if President Francois Hollande – whose ruling Socialists were well behind in third place – should dissolve the national parliament.

“It is unacceptable that the assembly should be so unrepresentative of the French people.”

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Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius swiftly played down the chances of such a move – which, given Hollande’s record unpopularity, would almost certainly mean his Socialists losing their current majority – but acknowledged that the National Front’s performance was “an earthquake”.

Pollster Ifop estimated that Le Pen’s National Front party would score between 22 and 25 seats in the new European Parliament – up from the three it currently holds.

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