'Clear' success for Le Pen in France says Meloni

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 1 - Marine Le Pen's rightwing National Rally (RN) notched a "clear" success in the first round of French elections Sunday and this also stemmed from its having allies on the Right for the first time, Premier Giorgia Meloni said Monday.
    RN got 33% to a leftwing alliance's 28% and President Francois Macron's centrist group's 21%.
    "I congratulate the Rassemblement National and its allies for the clear success," said Meloni, Italy's first female premier and its most rightwing since WWII at the head of an alliance featuring two rightwing parties and a centre-right one.
    "As for the runoff, I always treat the political and electoral dynamics of other nations with respect.
    "Of course, we are facing a very polarised scenario where I obviously prefer the Right.
    She stressed that "in France, too, the barriers between the alternative forces to the left have been overcome.
    "For the first time Le Pen's party had allies already from the first round and it seems to me that even the Républicains are oriented towards not participating in the so-called republican front, (which has always been erected in the second round in the past by all the other parties to keep Le Pen ou, ed).". (ANSA).