quote:

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In the first round last weekend, opposition leftist parties won 48 percent of the overall vote against 41 percent for the centre-right, making gains in townhalls around the country . . .

The Socialists are challenging hard to win control of two big southern cities, Marseille and Toulouse, and fighting to clinch a landslide victory in Paris.

If its southern bastions fall, Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party will be left running just two of France's top 10 cities.

"We are going to win back 30 medium-sized towns, but if we don't get Toulouse and Marseille people will say it isn't a great result," said Socialist party leader Francois Hollande.

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I live in a smallish French town, and people here voted on local local issues... cutting down trees for the airport expansion and housing projects was the hot issue, nothing at all to do with national politics

plus, you would really have to be special to figure out a clear Left-Right breakdown among the four muinicipal electoral lists -- some centre-left, sort of, one ecologist, sort of, but also a pro-business list that included a former Socialist councillor... I asked a good councillor I know why he ran on his list and he sighed: It's all personality driven!

there are 4 years to go for Sarkozy, so nothing is decided anyway, and national trends can go Left to Right and back again several cycles in that amount of time

[ 16 March 2008: Message edited by: Geneva ]

Radio France International web page
ETA: The Right managed to hold on to Marseille but lost a number of important municipalities: Strasbourg, Reims, Pau, Saint-Brieuc, Toulouse...Map of final results

[ 16 March 2008: Message edited by: martin dufresne ]