Socialisten winnen in regionale verkiezingen (en)

The French centre-right government headed by Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has suffered a major blow as the French regional elections yesterday were won by the centre-left opposition.

Official results as published by the French interior ministry show left-wing candidates in most regions clearly ahead of their right-wing competitors. The left, consisting of socialists, greens and communists, has gained 40.3 percent of the votes, a rise of more than 3.5% percent compared to the last regional elections in 1998.

Meanwhile, the centre-right, consisting of conservative and liberal parties, has polled only 35 percent, a loss of 1 point compared to 1998. The centre-right's performance is even worse when compared to the percentage it gained in the 2002 national elections (43%).

A second victor of yesterday's regional elections appears to be the extreme right, which has consolidated the support it gained in the 2002 national elections, winning 16.2 percent of the votes.

Sanction vote

The French press explains the election result as a clear sign of voters' dissatisfaction with the present national government.

Symbolic in this respect is the socialist victory in the home region of Prime Minister Raffarin, Poitou-Charentes, which was presided by Mr Raffarin himself from 1986 to 2002.

The head of the Parti Socialiste (Socialist Party), Francois Hollande, stated according to Le Figaro today that the election result constitutes a "serious warning" to the government.

Mr Raffarin has called upon the French to "unite" around the centre-right in the second round of the vote on March 28, adding that he will "take the message of the voters into account".

But the extreme-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, encouraged by the good results of his party, said he hoped for a "victory of national forces" in the second round. Mr Le Pen's Front National has a chance to compete in the second round in 17 of the 26 French regions.

Giscard wins mandate

A comparatively good result was gained by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the architect of the Draft European Constitution. Mr Giscard d'Estaing ran in his home region Auvergne, gaining 36.4 percent of voters support and finishing ahead of the socialist candidate.