French left seen winning parliament control

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Reuters

French left seen winning parliament control
By Brian Love and Emmanuel Jarry
PARIS | Sun Jun 10, 2012 2:49pm EDT

(Reuters) - Socialist President Francois Hollande looked set to consolidate his grip on power with a left-wing majority in parliament after a first-round vote on Sunday, and may be able to govern without relying on hard leftists hostile to closer European integration.

Initial projections by polling agencies based on a partial vote count suggested his core Socialist bloc could win 283 to 329 seats in the 577-member National Assembly in next Sunday's runoff, shifting the lower house to the left for the first time in a decade.

With Greens allies, the left would have 295 to 347 seats, the CSA polling institute forecast, well ahead of the mainstream conservatives with 210 to 263 seats, and more than the outright majority of 289 needed to give Hollande a free hand.

The Ipsos institute drew similar conclusions from its own projections based on a partial vote count, while TNS Sofres was the only pollster that put the Socialists and Greens just short of an absolute majority in a worst-case scenario.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/10/us-france-election-idUSBRE8550D620120610

[pinto]

1. This looks to be interesting in the larger EU context. And a test for political diversity in the EU.

[xxqqqzme]

2. Well this result should provide

interesting reading for the next few months.

[dotymed]

3. Do the French

use computer voting machines?

[burrowowl]

6. No

[David__77]

4. A plurality requiring Left Front alliance would be best.

If the Socialists have a majority on their own, it will not be good.

[Vidar]

5. Vive la France!

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. Sadly, Mélenchon will not run in the 2nd round against Le Pen

French far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon conceded defeat to anti-immigrant leader Marine Le Pen in Sunday's first-round parliamentary election, saying he would not stand in the second round.

Left Front leader Melenchon had taken Le Pen and her far-right National Front party head-on in a bitter battle in Henin-Beaumont, a rundown former mining constituency near the northern city of Lille.

"It's normal to be disappointed but we must not be defeated," Melenchon said.

Melenchon said he would not stand in next Sunday's second round after coming third, instead leaving his Socialist rival to battle Le Pen.

http://www.france24.com/en/20120610-far-left-concedes-defeat-right-marine-le-pen-national-front-france-parliamentary-vote-legislative-elections

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. First round results

(well, the graphic says it's a projection, but the France24 liveblog calls this the 'initial official results':