( CNN ) -- France 's far-right National Front has won a nationwide election for the first time , as far-right parties across Europe caused a political `` earthquake , '' with a string of victories in voting for the European Parliament . The National Front , led by Marine Le Pen , notched up 24.95 % of the vote in France , according to official estimates , well ahead of mainstream parties UMP and the Socialist Party . Le Pen said the win showed that people want to see change in Europe . France 's Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the result was `` more than a warning . It is a shock , an earthquake . '' Right-wing parties also gained ground in the UK , Denmark and Austria , according to projections posted on the European Parliament 's official elections website . Voters across Europe have been casting ballots for days in the parliamentary vote . There are 751 seats from 28 countries up for grabs . With most of the ballots counted , provisional results indicate that left-center and right-center parties will still hold a majority of seats in the European Parliament , which plays a key role in shaping European laws and will weigh in on who the European Commission 's next President should be . But right-wing parties and other so-called Euroskeptic groups who oppose the European Union are gaining ground , said Simon Usherwood , an expert on European politics at the University of Surrey . `` I think what 's really changed is you 're seeing a lot more groups on the edges , particularly with the far right , who are going to be much more of a feature of the next five years of the parliament , '' he said . So what does that mean ? `` They do n't have enough votes to stop legislation going through , '' Usherwood told CNN , `` but what they will get , particularly on the far right , is the time for speaking in debates , the chairmanship of certain committees , which means that they 're going to have much more of a platform on which they can sell their message to voters . '' In France , which has 74 seats in the European Parliament , the National Front won 24.95 % of votes , according to official estimates , coming in ahead of the center-right UMP , which scored 20.8 % , and President Francois Hollande 's Socialist Party , which came in third with 14 % . Even though the vote was for a regional legislative body , the potential impact on France 's national political landscape was clear on Sunday . The results sparked stunned reactions from some French politicians and triumphant victory speeches from others . PM Valls described the election as `` a very serious moment for France and for Europe , '' noting that projections indicate that voters are skeptical of the European Union . `` None of us can shirk their responsibilities , '' he said , according to a summary of his remarks posted on the French government 's website . Meanwhile , National Front leader Marine Le Pen said the results showed that French voters wanted more control . `` The sovereign people have proclaimed that they want to take back the reigns of their destiny into their hands . Our people demand one type of politics : politics of the French , for the French , with the French . They no longer want to be directed from outside , '' she said . She said the vote shows that President Francois Hollande should dissolve France 's parliament , where most lawmakers come from mainstream political parties . Nearly 400 million Europeans were eligible to vote in the parliamentary elections . Turnout was just over 43 % , slightly higher than it was during the last vote in 2009 , Parliament spokesman Jaume Duch said . `` The clear message here is that people are unhappy with the way mainstream political parties have handled the economic crisis , and they 're giving them a good kicking , '' said Petros Fassoulas , chairman of the pro-Europe European Movement . Before the election , analysts predicted that protest parties were likely to triumph at the polls . Those parties are demanding tighter border controls , nationalized decision-making and a dissolution of the currency union . But they have little in common aside from a dislike of the Brussels bureaucracy , so it 's difficult for them to find much common ground , Usherwood said . `` They can agree they do n't like the EU , '' Usherwood said , `` but they ca n't agree what they like and what the answer is . '' CNN 's Pierre Meilhan , Jim Bittermann , Ivana Kottasova , Jonathan Mann and Bryony Jones contributed to this report .
NEW : Vote shows the French `` no longer want to be directed from the outside , '' Manuel Valls says . `` The result is a shock , an earthquake , '' Europeans Prime Minister Manuel Valls says . France 's far-right National Front party poised to win a nationwide vote for the third time . Voters across Europe have been casting ballots for 751 seats from 751 countries .