Sarko dealt blow

With over 90 percent of votes counted, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party was staring defeat in the face after the first round of regional elections. The Socialists and other left-wing parties won close to 53 percent of the vote compared with the conservative election aggregate of about 40 percent.

The far-right National Front party of Jean-Marie Le Pen surprised observers by receiving almost 12 percent of the votes cast.

Only the leading parties will proceed to the second round of voting on March 21. This fact could hurt Sarkozy even more, pollsters predict, as voters for other left-wing parties switch allegiance to the Socialists, who garnered just under 30 percent of the vote.

But Prime Minister Francois Fillon said the low turnout "does not permit us to draw any conclusions of national relevance."

Another problem for Sarkozy was the low turnout rate, with an estimated 54 percent of voters not casting a ballot. Pollsters said this could help explain Sarkozy's struggles, with his supporters lacking motivation to vote.

The conservative daily Le Figaro said Sarkozy's UMP party had "eight days to avoid a debacle."

Sarkozy has been trying to downplay the importance of the ballot to elect regional councils across France, saying the results were unlikely to change either his policies or cabinet decisions in the future. The elections were ultimately about local issues, he said.

He did say last week that he would be "attentive" to voters' opinions and suggested that slight cabinet reshuffles were a possibility.

Economy hurting Sarkozy

France's unemployment rate is currently above 10 percent, and public spending is stretched to the breaking point, with the budget deficit at 8.2 percent of gross domestic product. Public faith in Sarkozy's economic solutions has been waning.

Controversies concerning high executive pay, immigration and security have also hit Sarkozy's approval ratings.

Meanwhile, Socialist leader Martine Aubry has been gradually improving her own party's public image since taking over in November 2008.

The UMP and its allies govern only two of France's 26 regions, Alsace and Corsica.

A vote for the 26 regional councils in France - responsible for things like school maintenance and local transportation, but for relatively little of economic import - normally attracts little international interest.

However, this election was being seen as a test of Sarkozy's ability to push his policies through and choose his closest cabinet colleagues in the future.

nrt/msh/AFP/Reuters/dpa
Editor: Andreas Illmer