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| France elections: Far right on the move as Marine Le Pen’s National Front wins at least eight town halls in miserable night for President Hollande | France elections: Far right on the move as Marine Le Pen’s National Front wins at least eight town halls in miserable night for President Hollande |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The French far right captured at least eight town halls in local elections on Sunday night but President François Hollande’s Socialists avoided the electoral wipeout they had feared. | The French far right captured at least eight town halls in local elections on Sunday night but President François Hollande’s Socialists avoided the electoral wipeout they had feared. |
| Marine Le Pen’s National Front (FN) will govern for the next six years in at least two substantial French towns on the Mediterranean coast – Fréjus and Béziers. She also looked likely to win at least six smaller towns in the South and in the North – as well as the forming mining town near Lille, Hénin-Beaumont, which she won outright in the first round of voting on the previous Sunday. | Marine Le Pen’s National Front (FN) will govern for the next six years in at least two substantial French towns on the Mediterranean coast – Fréjus and Béziers. She also looked likely to win at least six smaller towns in the South and in the North – as well as the forming mining town near Lille, Hénin-Beaumont, which she won outright in the first round of voting on the previous Sunday. |
| This amounts to a trebling of the NF’s best previous result in municipal elections. The far right took three town halls in 1995 but currently controls none. | This amounts to a trebling of the NF’s best previous result in municipal elections. The far right took three town halls in 1995 but currently controls none. |
| All the same, Ms Le Pen’s triumph was less complete than she had hoped for. The National Front fell short of winning three glittering prizes – Avignon and Perpignan in the south and Forbach in Lorraine - where their candidates had topped the first round poll last Sunday. | All the same, Ms Le Pen’s triumph was less complete than she had hoped for. The National Front fell short of winning three glittering prizes – Avignon and Perpignan in the south and Forbach in Lorraine - where their candidates had topped the first round poll last Sunday. |
| Apart from Frejus and Beziers (both over 50,000 in population), the FN’s victories on Sunday were in relatively small places: Hayange and Villers-Cotterêts in the industrial north and Beaucaire, Le Luc, Le Pontet et Cogolin in the South. | Apart from Frejus and Beziers (both over 50,000 in population), the FN’s victories on Sunday were in relatively small places: Hayange and Villers-Cotterêts in the industrial north and Beaucaire, Le Luc, Le Pontet et Cogolin in the South. |
| Left-wing voters, who had deserted the unpopular President Hollande last week, flocked back to the polls in many towns and cities on Sunday. The Left hung onto power in most of the biggest cities, including Paris, where the deputy mayor Anne Hidalgo won comfortably. The Socialist mayors in Strasbourg and Dijon – who had appeared on the verge of defeat last weekend - scraped home. | Left-wing voters, who had deserted the unpopular President Hollande last week, flocked back to the polls in many towns and cities on Sunday. The Left hung onto power in most of the biggest cities, including Paris, where the deputy mayor Anne Hidalgo won comfortably. The Socialist mayors in Strasbourg and Dijon – who had appeared on the verge of defeat last weekend - scraped home. |
| All the same, the main opposition party, the centre-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (UMP) scored a significant victory by capturing Toulouse in the south west. The UMP and its allies looked likely to caputure up to 100 towns large and small, including many traditionally run by the Left such as Belfort, Reims, Saint-Etienne, Roubaix, Quimper and Pau. Anne Hidalgo, the Socialist candidate, is the new Paris Mayor | |
| The government spokeswoman, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem admitted that the results remained “bad for the Left.” She said: “We are paying the price of not always clearly explaining where we are going. The reforms we have made have been slow to show their results. We have to accept that people are suffering.” | The government spokeswoman, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem admitted that the results remained “bad for the Left.” She said: “We are paying the price of not always clearly explaining where we are going. The reforms we have made have been slow to show their results. We have to accept that people are suffering.” |
| With unemployment frozen at just under 10 per cent and his popularity at a record low, President Hollande had expected bad results in the first round last week. He had not reckoned on a widespread collapse of the Socialist vote and a breakthrough by the NF, which topped the poll in a score of places. | With unemployment frozen at just under 10 per cent and his popularity at a record low, President Hollande had expected bad results in the first round last week. He had not reckoned on a widespread collapse of the Socialist vote and a breakthrough by the NF, which topped the poll in a score of places. |
| Before Sunday’s second round, he hoped that Left-leaning voters would put aside their national grievances and turn out en masse to prevent their towns from swinging to the Right or, worse, the Far Right. His prayers were partly answered. | Before Sunday’s second round, he hoped that Left-leaning voters would put aside their national grievances and turn out en masse to prevent their towns from swinging to the Right or, worse, the Far Right. His prayers were partly answered. |
| The overall turnout, of around 61.5 per cent, broke the new record of 63.5 per cent set last weekend for the lowest ever participation in local elections in France. But the turn-out in many of the key towns was higher than last week. | The overall turnout, of around 61.5 per cent, broke the new record of 63.5 per cent set last weekend for the lowest ever participation in local elections in France. But the turn-out in many of the key towns was higher than last week. |
| Mr Hollande plans to reshuffle the government this week to show that he has “heard the message” of the electorate. The Elysée Palace let it be known on Friday that the survival of the Prime Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault depended on the scale of the Socialist rout on Sunday. | Mr Hollande plans to reshuffle the government this week to show that he has “heard the message” of the electorate. The Elysée Palace let it be known on Friday that the survival of the Prime Minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault depended on the scale of the Socialist rout on Sunday. |
| Given the reduced scale of losses, Mr Ayrault may survive. If he goes, the ambitious, energetic, young interior minister Manuel Valls is favourite to replace him. | Given the reduced scale of losses, Mr Ayrault may survive. If he goes, the ambitious, energetic, young interior minister Manuel Valls is favourite to replace him. |
| Mr Valls is, however, on the right wing of the Socialist party. Since the disaffection with the government is mostly on the left of the party, Mr Hollande may decide that promoting Mr Valls would be seen as gesture of defiance, rather than a recognition of grass-roots anger and distress. | Mr Valls is, however, on the right wing of the Socialist party. Since the disaffection with the government is mostly on the left of the party, Mr Hollande may decide that promoting Mr Valls would be seen as gesture of defiance, rather than a recognition of grass-roots anger and distress. |
| President Hollande is paying the price of a laborious and scandal-strewn first two years in power. Swing voters and the middle classes were angered last year by tax rises, especially the abolition of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s “tax holiday” for overtime work. | President Hollande is paying the price of a laborious and scandal-strewn first two years in power. Swing voters and the middle classes were angered last year by tax rises, especially the abolition of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s “tax holiday” for overtime work. |
| Poorer and left-wing voters have been infuriated by Mr Hollande’s move in January to a more market-oriented, state-cutting economic policy – even if it has not been implemented yet. Everyone is angry with Mr Hollande’s failure to deliver his promised “reversal of the trend” of rising unemployment by the end of last year. | Poorer and left-wing voters have been infuriated by Mr Hollande’s move in January to a more market-oriented, state-cutting economic policy – even if it has not been implemented yet. Everyone is angry with Mr Hollande’s failure to deliver his promised “reversal of the trend” of rising unemployment by the end of last year. |
| Beyond these policy failures, Mr Hollande’s is also paying the price of scandals such as the revelation last year that his millionaire budget minister, Jerome Cahuzac, was a tax cheat who had an illegal bank account in Swizerland. | Beyond these policy failures, Mr Hollande’s is also paying the price of scandals such as the revelation last year that his millionaire budget minister, Jerome Cahuzac, was a tax cheat who had an illegal bank account in Swizerland. |
| The revelation this January that the President was cheating on his partner Valérie Trierweiler with the actress Julie Gayet has not significantly damaged his popularity. His ratings (22-25 per cent) were already the lowest ever recorded. | The revelation this January that the President was cheating on his partner Valérie Trierweiler with the actress Julie Gayet has not significantly damaged his popularity. His ratings (22-25 per cent) were already the lowest ever recorded. |