For its part, Ms Le Pen’s Rassemblement National party (RN) failed to achieve the trophy wins that it coveted in southern cities such as Marseille and Toulon. But the success of the conservative candidate in Nice, Éric Ciotti, who was backed by the RN after leading calls to “unite the right” ahead of the presidential election, may tempt others to abandon the “republican front” that has thwarted its ambitions. Ms Le Pen and the RN’s president, Jordan Bardella, could also point to breakthroughs in smaller towns.