France’s socialist prime minister resigned along with his entire government yesterday Monday March 31,2014 following a meltdown in local elections.
According to preliminary results from the interior ministry, the UMP and allies took 47 % of the vote nationwide while the Socialist party and allies took 38%, and the FN 5 % -- far higher than its 0.9 percent result in the first round of 2008 municipal polls.
The Ruling Socialists lost 155 towns, of some 500 they had controlled. "Punishment," read the front-page headline in the left-leaning Liberation Newspaper
The FN took a record 14 (possibly 15) towns, while the UMP took the other 140 towns the Socialists had lost
The ruling Socialists have been badly bruised in local elections which saw big gains for conservatives and the far-right National Front (FN).
Among the victories being celebrated by Marine Le Pen's National Front was the capture of the 7th district of Marseille, France's second largest city. The district has a population of about 150,000, which makes it the party's biggest win.
The FN won control of 11 towns, mainly in the south.
The Socialists did retain control of Paris, with their candidate Anne Hidalgo due to become the capital's first female mayor.
Anne Hidalgo won with around 55% of the vote in the second round defeating Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet(UMP)who had finished ahead of Anne Hidalgo in first round of voting on March 23,2014
Opinion polls had predicted though that Anne Hidalgo would win in the second round runoff on March 30,2014
The outgoing mayor was the Socialists' Bertrand Delanoe, who did not run for a third term.
The Ruling Socialists have been hit by growing discontent over the economy after struggling to keep unemployment figures down and boost economic growth.
Jean-Marc Ayrault admitted that a huge swing to the Right, including to the extremist National Front, was down to him and his Left-wing government
The Govt’s resignation is a huge blow to the French President Francois Hollande, who was elected to a five-year term in 2012 but whose first two years in power have seen him become the most unpopular head of state in recent history.
French President Francois Hollande replaced Jean-Marc Ayrault with Manuel Valls, the tough-talking interior minister – the French version of home secretary – who is fiercely anti-immigration.
Manuel Valls
- Born in Barcelona, ethnic Catalan
- Former mayor of Evry
- Chief organiser of Francois Hollande's presidential campaign
- Tough on migrants, known as "top cop"
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