Merkel continued to support incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy as France’s next president but would work closely with whoever wins the May 6 run-off, her deputy spokesman, Georg Streiter, told a regular government news conference.
“This high score is alarming but I expect it will be ironed out in the second round,” he said on the third-place result of Le Pen’s anti-immigrant, anti-European National Front.
“The chancellor continues to support President Sarkozy,” he told reporters, adding the deep Franco-German friendship was independent of the people in office.
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle also welcomed a run-off between “two proven democratic candidates”.
“Naturally we respect the electoral choice of the French citizens,” Westerwelle said in a written statement.
“But it is good that the run-off now is taking place between two proven democratic candidates who stand for Europe and the German-Franco friendship,” he added.
Merkel and Sarkozy have fostered close ties in fighting the eurozone debt crisis and pundits have questioned whether she could form a similar bond with his Socialist rival Francois Hollande if he wins the run-off.