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French socialists hammered as far-right triumphs in key towns

France’s municipal elections amounted to a strong push back against the socialist government Sunday as the far-right National Front (FN) claimed control of at least two mid-sized towns, the first exit polls suggested.

French socialists suffered major losses in Sunday's municipal elections.
French socialists suffered major losses in Sunday's municipal elections. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
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Candidates backed by Marine Le Pen's party won mayoral seats in the southern towns of Beziers and Ferjus, leading one party member to say describe the elections as its biggest electoral success in the party's history.

As ballots closed, the FN said it was set to claim an unprecedented 1,200 municipal council seats nationwide.

Head of the conservative Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) Jean-François Copé also declared the results  the first big victory for the right in local elections.

Avignon, another city closely watched by the far-right, ended up in the hands of the Socialists despite a lead last weekend, with Cécile Helle getting 47.2 percent of the vote against far-right candidate Philippe Lottiaux, who won 34.7 percent, according to exit polls.

In Marseille, UMP incumbent Jean-Claude Gaudin is headed for a fourth term as mayor, according to exit polls.

And while the right failed to wrest control of the capital, the overall poor results could lead to a government reshuffle that could see the popular Interior Minister replace Prime Minister Jean-March Ayrualt.

Low turnout was considered a factor in a poor showing for the ruling Socialists in the first round and the party was poised for further losses as voting turnout hit the lowest ever in 50 years.

Sunday’s polls concluded the first major balloting since President François Hollande entered office in 2012, and were casted as a thermometer of voters' approval – or disapproval.

Hollande has endured the lowest approval ratings of any French president in modern history, largely accountable to the troubled economy and rising unemployment.

As France's UMP declared success, Segolene Royal, Hollande's former partner who is also tipped to return to government in the reshuffle, said the socialists had severe warnings that they would endure losses.

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