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Local elections underway in France

Voting was underway in France's second round of local elections as President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative party braced for a possible setback.

  • Agencies
  • Published: 11:44 March 16, 2008
  • Gulf News

Paris: Voting was underway in France's second round of local elections as President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative party braced for a possible setback.

The polls are being seen as a litmus test for the conservative leader's popularity as well as the strength of his party, the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP).

The UMP was hoping to hang onto two of France's largest cities in Sunday's second and final round of voting, which will elect mayors, deputy mayors and municipal councillors.

The first round on March 9 gave the rival Socialist Party a modest lead with 47.5 percent of the vote, compared with 44.4 percent for the UMP.

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