Far-right party surges in first balloting

National Front leads with 28 percent of vote under state of emergency three weeks after Paris attack

France's far-right National Front saw record gains in the first round of regional polls on Sunday, held under a state of emergency just three weeks after extremists killed 130 people in Paris.

Despite the strong result, the National Front - or FN, its French acronym - faces an uphill battle to clinch a runoff vote next week after the ruling party withdrew candidates to block it from power.