The Jewish umbrella organization CRIF welcomed the results of Sunday's run-off regional elections in France in which the far-right National Front of Marine Le Pen failed to win the presidency in any region.
The CRIF had called on voters to block the party after it won the first round and became the strongest party in six of the country’s 13 regions.
"CRIF hails the citizens' reaction, which prevented the regions from falling to the National Front," the organization - which is the French affiliate of the World Jewish Congress - said in a statement.
The umbrella body also urged the government and the French political class to use the strong mobilization of voters in defense of what it called 'the values of the Republic' to address the causes for the strong showing of the extreme-right in France.
The turnout in the second round of voting rose by more than 9 percentage points to 59 percent.
FN leader Marine Le Pen was defeated in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie region, where she had scored more than 40 per cent in the first round, by the moderate center-right candidate Xavier Bertrand. Her niece Marion Maréchal, and FN Vice-President Florian Philippot were also beaten in other regions, despite topping the result in the first round of voting.
The vote took place a week after the National Front finished in pole position in six districts out of 13 up for grabs in the first round. It recorded its highest national share of votes with 28 per cent last Sunday. Parties securing more than 10 per cent of the votes in the first round were allowed to run in a second round.
