Villeneuve is the home of the infamous budget minister Jérôme Cahuzac. Check either of the following articles and you'll fully understand why the PS could not possibly be in the second round of that by-election:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/02/jerome-cahuzac-france-offshore-account
Which is not to say that the PS is faring well at all. Since the Hollande took power, just about a year ago, 8 such by-elections took place and all were lost.
But imagining that the Front National could take power anytime soon as you suggest is *really* far fetched. There is technically *no* possible way the FN could form a new government any time soon with only 2 representatives in the national assembly (out of 577) currently.
Plus, as a member of the PS who did not support the "republican front" as the PS leaders call voting for a hard right candidate to oppose any election of FN members, I think that having a few more FN representatives in the assembly would help a great deal clarifying the current very murky waters of French politics. Both the left and the right would need to profoundly evolve (including a split in the UMP and in the PS).
JC
On Jul 1, 2013, at 7:18 PM, Marv Gandall <marvgand2 at gmail.com> wrote:
> The stunning victory of France's National Front in a recent by-election in a traditional Socialist Party stronghold point to it becoming the party of the white working class. It was already tied in the opinion polls with the Socialists and the Gaullists, and could well form the next French government. If the NF gains power, it could spell the end of the eurozone. Front leader Marine Le Pen promises to call a referendum to unilaterally withdraw from the currency union if she is not able to persuade Germany and the other eurozone states to agree on an orderly breakup within a year of taking office.