Full coverage of the 2010 French regional elections

Special Report

Last modification: 22/03/10

In two rounds of voting to elect 1,880 regional representatives on March 14 and 21, French voters dealt a stinging blow to President Nicolas Sarkozy’s UMP party, which gained just 35.5 percent of the national vote. The resounding victory for the Socialist Party and its left-wing allies (54.12 percent), who won all but one of the 22 regions in mainland France, has made the left a credible challenger for the 2012 presidential election.

FRENCH REGIONAL ELECTIONS

Left-wing alliance trumps Sarkozy’s party in regional polls

The ruling UMP party of President Nicolas Sarkozy experienced a wipeout in the second round of France’s regional elections, with the Socialists and their left-wing allies winning in all but one of mainland France's 22 regions.

FRENCH REGIONAL ELECTIONS

Left-leaning parties form alliance to keep lead in second round

Ahead of a March 21 run-off vote, France’s Socialists allied with the Greens and other left leaning parties in a deal struck on Tuesday following the Socialists’ first-place showing in round one of regional elections.

FRENCH REGIONAL ELECTIONS

Le Pen, father and daughter, bounce back

They had been written off as a spent force and a mere hiccup in French political life. But if Sunday’s election results are anything to go by, the National Front’s ruling family has proved that there is plenty of bite left in France’s far right.

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FRANCE

Press abuzz about Sarkozy’s ‘humiliating defeat’ in regional elections

Newspaper headlines in France and abroad were abuzz about French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s setback in regional elections on Sunday, as his centre-right party trails opposition Socialists after the first round of ballots.

FRENCH REGIONAL ELECTIONS

Socialists triumph while National Front makes headway

Amid record voter apathy, France's Socialist Party have triumphed over the ruling right-wing UMP party in regional elections. The far-right National Front made significant headway while the centrist MoDem party suffered a spectacular defeat.

FRENCH REGIONAL ELECTIONS

Web snubs French ban on exit polls

French journalists kept scrupulously quiet about the results of regional elections until a ban expired at 8 pm on Sunday evening. But, by then, their colleagues abroad had long broken the news on the Web.

FRANCE

Far-Right election poster ‘insults’ Algeria

France’s far-right Front National has upset Algeria, a former French colony, in its latest election poster denouncing "Islamism" and featuring a map of France decked in the North African country’s national flag.

FRANCE

Sarkozy ‘works up a sweat’ in faltering campaign

Members of France's opposition have blasted President Nicolas Sarkozy’s involvement in the regional elections, claiming Sarkozy is over-stepping his mandate. Political analyst Stephane Rozes explains what is at stake for the embattled president.

FRENCH REGIONAL ELECTIONS

Greens poised for breakthrough on the Rhine in regional elections

Take a look at a map of French regions and Alsace will soon look like the conservative equivalent of Asterix’s village of indomitable Gauls – one speck of blue in an ocean of pink. But, this time, France’s easternmost region could well turn green.

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Female candidates show their mettle ahead of regional elections

A proud day for French President Nicolas Sarkozy after one of his female ministers won a karate championship and another busted a café where the owner let his customers smoke inside: good PR for the government on International Women’s Day.