Conservatives Win in French Local Elections

French conservatives, led by former President Nicolas Sarkozy, have achieved a significant victory in the local elections in France, which is seen as a message regarding the decline of the ruling Socialists in the country. Initial electoral assessments indicate that the second round of voting on Sunday, April 9, concluded with a victory for Sarkozy's supporters, while Socialists from Manuel Valls' camp, the Prime Minister of France, lost nearly half of their representatives in city councils. In the first round of elections last week, the right-wingers secured 36% of the votes, the Socialists over 28%, and the National Front, the far-right party led by Marine Le Pen, over 24%. The Associated Press reports that despite the successes achieved by Le Pen's party through its 'determined voters', it has failed to take control of even one council. According to the French Ministry of the Interior, based on results from 66 out of 98 regions, conservatives in Sarkozy's UMP party received 46% of the votes, Socialists 34%, and the National Front 20%. Manuel Valls, the Prime Minister of France, urged voters to support anyone, even conservative rivals, to prevent a far-right victory. Sarkozy, on the other hand, asked his supporters to refrain from voting if there was no UMP candidate. Marine Le Pen described herself as the 'only real opposition' against the ruling parties, stating that the new councils would assist in winning future elections. The voter turnout, according to preliminary statistics from the French Ministry of the Interior, was nearly 42%, which is one percent lower than in the first round of elections. Voters participated to elect over 4,100 representatives for a total of 98 councils. Representatives were listed equally, half male and half female, to ensure equal representation of men and women in the elections.