This will start the "is Sarkozy in trouble for the 2012 elections" debate though somehow I don't get the feeling that will be the case. The center-left won every region except for Alsace with even the previous center-right Corsica changing to the left. It's an impressive win but the left still needs a strong leader if they're going to challenge Sarkozy in the next presidential elections. What is interesting is that people are saying this has a lot to do with Sarkozy's failures during the economic crisis. Compared to the US, UK and many other countries the impact of the recession in France has been limited. Unemployment has moved up but it's hardly as noticeable as other countries. The Guardian:
The leader of France's reinvigorated Socialist party hailed an "unprecedented victory" for the left at the ballot box last night after voters dealt a crushing defeat to Nicolas Sarkozy's rightwing party in regional elections.
With almost all votes counted, official figures indicated that a leftwing alliance led by socialists and ecologists had won 54% of the nationwide ballot, leaving the president's beleaguered UMP party with just 35%.
Across mainland France, the left claimed victory in 21 of the 22 regions. The only chink of light for the UMP came in Alsace. Corsica, which in 2004 was retained by the UMP, fell to the left for the first time since 1984. A relative comeback by the far right Front National, which scored over 20% in two regions, added to the ruling party's woes.
