The UMP is gaining strength

Former president Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-wing Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and centrist allies on Sunday won control of an overwhelming majority of departments in France, in a major blow to the ruling Socialist Party.

Despite historically high scores at the local level, the far-right National Front (FN) failed to win majority control of any departmental councils. France’s CSA polling firm said FN candidates had finished first in at least 43 cantons, the geographical units that make up French departments, but did not have enough councillors to take control of any departments.                                                    Comments to taglines82@gmail.com