Elections

Elections
Elections : Paris, France (CNN) – French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who belongs to the center-right emerged damaged after regional elections on Sunday showed the interior ministry figures on Monday.

Sarkozy’s ruling party took just over a quarter of the vote, placing it second behind the Socialist Party, which won 29 percent.

Together, the three left-wing parties – the Socialists, Europe, Ecology, and the front left – took a little over 47 percent of the vote.

Far-right National Front took 11.5 percent, and the centrist party Modem late in the past with little more than 4 percent. About 11 percent of the ballots void, or empty of voters in favor of smaller parties.

The Socialist Party may be placed and seized power in France in 20 of the local area 22 in the second round of voting next week if the voting pattern repeats itself.

“The French people want to punish the forces that control,” said political analyst Roland Cayrol. “Members of the right attribute that govern this matter to the members of the voting, but in fact, the success of the left is not disputed. There is also power-ups and clear of vegetables, which sends a clear signal to the Socialist Party that they are not left alone in the spectrum.”

But the biggest winner in the first round of the two elections were “any of the above” – the turnout fell below 50 percent for the first time ever, show figures from the Ministry of the Interior. Slightly more than 46 percent of registered voters cast ballots, down from nearly 60 percent in 2004, much lower than the previous low of about 57 percent in 1998.

National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen was extremely satisfied with the results, saying: “The president announced that he was killed in front of national well … I am here to tell the president that the National Front had been resuscitated!”

Sarkozy, who was elected president in 2007, beating the Socialist candidate Segolene Royal with 53 percent of the vote to 47 percent.

Sunday’s election was the first round of voting for the election of regional leaders and councils. Next Sunday, voters will choose between the final of the first round in France in 22 local areas and four overseas territories.