FRANCE:NICOLAS SARKOZY was braced for the first electoral test of his presidency last night as France voted in the first round of local elections, with part of the electorate expected to punish him for the sluggish economy, watered-down reforms and irreverent personal style.
Ten months after Mr Sarkozy swept to power vowing to modernise France, his popularity ratings have sunk to 37-40 per cent. He promised to reform labour laws, kickstart the economy and ease people's difficulties in making ends meet. But he has so far offered only mini-reforms.
Although the government was boosted last week by unemployment falling to 7.8 per cent, its lowest level for 12 years, economic growth is slower than predicted.
Mr Sarkozy's brash presidential style has also annoyed voters: his ostentatious courtship and whirlwind marriage to the model Carla Bruni and outbursts such as recently telling a man who refused to shake his hand at an agricultural show: "Sod off, you arsehole." The general mood of Sarkophobia has handed an advantage to the left as 36,700 cities, towns and villages vote for their mayors and councillors, with the final round on March 16th.
The Socialist party hopes to take over key large cities such as Marseille, Toulouse and Strasbourg. Paris's Socialist mayor, Bertrand Delanoe, who has tried to cut traffic and pollution and introduced the city's popular bike-hire scheme, is expected to keep his job. If the left can wrest another 30 towns and cities from the right, it will damage Mr Sarkozy's party.
The Socialists, who have put off resolving their internal party crisis until after the local elections, will have to decide their party's future by appointing a new leader this autumn. Mr Delanoe and former presidential candidate Ségolène Royal have used the municipal election campaign trail to position themselves as possible leaders.
On the right, many municipal candidates in Mr Sarkozy's UMP party have removed the party logo from their posters to distance themselves from the president.
A poll by the Ifop agency on Friday showed 21 per cent of voters wanted to use their ballots to punish Mr Sarkozy, while 10 per cent wanted to support him.
- (Guardian service)