France's ruling Socialist Party suffered humiliating losses Sunday in a
local vote marked by breakthrough successes for the far-right National
Front and the historic election of a first female mayor of Paris.
Read more: Black Sunday for France's Socialists as far-right breaks through - Yahoo News
On a day dubbed "Black Sunday" by
one Socialist lawmaker, the National Front (FN) won control of at least
eight towns and was on track to claim 1,200 municipal council seats
nationwide, its best ever showing at the grassroots level of French
politics.
It was also a night to savour for France's main opposition, the centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).
The
party of former president Nicolas Sarkozy performed strongly across the
country, seizing control of a string of towns and cities, including
some once considered bastions of the left.
In
a rare consolation for President Francois Hollande's party, the
Socialists held on to control of Paris, where Anne Hidalgo, 54, will
become the first female mayor of the French capital after a victory that
was far more comfortable than anyone had expected.
But
Limoges, a town that had been run by the left for 102 years, fell to
the UMP, as did Toulouse, the Champagne capital Reims and Saint Etienne,
as well as dozens of other smaller urban centers.
Read more: Black Sunday for France's Socialists as far-right breaks through - Yahoo News
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