Prime Minister François Fillon described his government’s outreach to the left and center as a “political momentum” and even a “political revolution.” François Hollande, the First Secretary of the Socialist Party, and Ségolène Royal, the Socialist candidate in the presidential election, have called on non-voters to mobilize behind socialist candidates. Ségolène Royal took the opportunity to give a lesson on citizenship, pointing out that in the past, the French had fought for the right to vote. The goal is to limit the right-wing landslide.
According to initial estimates, the UMP could hope to win 500 seats in the National Assembly. The Democratic Movement of François Bayrou could secure between one and four seats (7% of the votes). The PS would occupy the remainder of the National Assembly. The National Front, after Jean-Marie Le Pen’s significant setback a month ago, is facing another failure. It is clear that many former FN voters have shifted their support to UMP candidates. The rest have abstained.
In the Alpes-Maritimes department, Nicolas Sarkozy was overwhelmingly supported in the presidential election. Here too, logically and unsurprisingly, the UMP candidates led in all nine constituencies. It was a sweep. In the 7th constituency of Antibes, Jean Leonetti was elected in the first round, along with Christian Estrosi, Michèle Tabarot, Lionnel Lucal, Muriel Marland Militello, Rudy Salles, and Jean-Claude Guibal. Only Eric Ciotti, facing Patrick Allemand (PS) in the 1st constituency, and Bernard Brochand, facing Henry Leroy (formerly UMP), are in a favorable position for a runoff. The final results will be known in the next few hours. Nice-Premium will keep you updated and share the various reactions from the winners and losers.
