Deutsche
Welle, 30 March 2014
Anne
Hidalgo of the France's ruling Socialist looks set to become Paris' first woman
mayor, exit polls show. The far right National Front party, meanwhile, appears
set to make gains in mid-sized towns across France.
Hidalgo
beat out Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet of the center-right Union for a Popular
Movement (UMP) on Sunday with 54.5 percent of the vote to take win the Paris
mayoral race, according to exit polls.
The Socialist
Party of President Francois Hollande also looks set to retain control of the
Paris town hall. The victory is seen as a consolation for the party, however,
as it fared poorly in nationwide municipal elections.
While the
Socialists lost ground on Sunday, the UMP described itself as the principle
victor on the night.
Cities
currently under Socialist control that appeared under threat based on first
round results last week included Strasbourg, Toulouse, Saint-Etienene, and
Metz.
"We
have had a very severe warning," said Segolene Royal, President Hollande's
former partner who is a favorite to return to government in a reshuffle
expected to follow Sunday's poor results for the Socialist Party. Popular
Interior Minister Manuel Valls has also been broadly tipped as a possible
candidate to replace Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.
Hollande
himself is facing record-low approval ratings, roughly two years after
defeating the UMP's Nicolas Sarkozy in presidential elections.
FN makes
headway
As ballot
counting got underway on Sunday, the far-right National Front (FN) said it was
on track to win at least two towns and claim 1,200 municipal council seats
nationwide. According to exit polls, the anti-immigrant party was on track to
secure the mayor's seats in the southern towns of Beziers and Frejus.
FN leader
Marine Le Pen called Sunday's showing a huge step for the party.
"We
have moved onto a new level," she said. "There is now a third major
political force in our country."
The latest
results add to FN's election to power in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont
during last week's first round of voting. The party's previous record was
winning three towns in 1995 local elections.
The party
failed to achieve one of its main objectives, however, when it was unsuccessful
in its bid to secure the northeastern town of Forbach.
Turnout for
Sunday's poll was just 63.5 percent, a record low in France. Dissatisfaction
with Hollande and a number of legal intrigues involving opposition
conservatives contributed to the low number of people going to the polls.
dr/mz (AFP, Reuters)
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