By Times.am at 15 March, 2010, 8:30 pm
French opposition Socialists beated Sarkozy’s UMP party in the first round of regional elections on Sunday, according to partial official results.
French opposition Socialists beated President Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP party in the first round of regional elections on Sunday, according to partial official results, in a new blow to the increasingly unpopular president.
Many voters blame Sarkozy and the governing conservatives for failing to protect jobs amid France’s worst economic downturn since World War II, and for not keeping their promise to make the country prosper in the face of growing global competition.
With more than 81 percent of votes counted, candidates from the Socialist and other leftist parties won 53.6 percent of the overall vote, according to the Interior Ministry.
Sarkozy’s conservative UMP party and others on the right have 39.6 percent. The far right National Front did better than pollsters predicted and had the possibility of coming in third nationwide, with 11.7 percent, closely followed by green-minded party Europe Ecologie with 11 percent, according to the ministry.
The first-round results suggest the Socialists and their allies will win control of the overwhelming majority of France’s 26 regions. The Socialists already run 20 of the 22 regions on the French mainland after trouncing conservatives in the last elections in 2004.
“This vote represents a severe punishment for the right,” said the Socialist party’s Segolene Royal, who lost heavily to Sarkozy in the 2007 presidential election.
The vote was the last national test before the 2012 presidential race and the Socialists had been counting on a successful result to build a platform to challenge Sarkozy.
Sarkozy remained silent Sunday night, leaving comment from the government’s top echelon to Prime Minister Francois Fillon. He remained combative
Fillon said a record abstention rate, estimated at some 53 percent, made it impossible to draw any conclusions at national level.
“Against all previous predictions, nothing has been decided for the second round in numerous regions. Everything is still left to do,” he said.
A second round ballot will be staged March 21, with leading parties going forward to the conclusive vote which will decide who runs France’s 26 regions.
/World Bulletin/
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