Marine Le Pen's victory in French elections would mean 'destruction of Europe', Spanish PM says

The prime minister of Spain has expressed concerns for the future of Europe if French far-right presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen wins the upcoming elections. Mariano Rajoy is equally concerned that if the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) wins in Germany, it could spell "disaster".

In an interview with radio Onda Cero, Rajoy recommended that Le Pen should travel to more parts of the world before having opinions about the cause of France's problems. "I don't even want to think about it that would be a disaster, it would simply mean the destruction of Europe," he said.

"Mrs Le Pen has announced plans for a referendum. She wants [France] to leave Europe, as if Europe were the source of all misfortunes. I would like it if she visited the rest of the world."

If elected, National Front presidential candidate Le Pen has promised to hold a Brexit-style referendum to decide whether France should stay within the European Union.

She has also been making strong statements against France's immigration policy and most recently, called for the complete halt to entry of asylum seekers. "We tell immigrants that we don't want them to come to France, but at the same time, we encourage the ones that are here to stay," she said, as cited by The Express.

Similarly, Germany's AfD is known for its eurosceptic rhetoric and has earned support among voters for its anti-immigration stand.

"This is not going to happen. I am convinced that things will turn out alright in Germany and I am absolutely convinced there won't be a problem in France," said Rajoy. "It is essential for the future of Europe that the elections in Germany and France go well."

The PM is hopeful that conservative nominee Francois Fillon wins the French election which is scheduled to take place on 23 April and 7 May.