Paris set to have first female mayor

PARIS looks set to have its first female mayor, all the polls show.

Despite last week’s surprise result when she came a close second, the Socialists’ Anne Hidalgo has reportedly won in most arrondissements.

The deputy mayor to Bertrand Delanoë has even beaten UMP candidate Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet in NKM’s own arrondissement (the 14th), states TF1.

However as the results continue to come in, the overall picture continues to look bad for the left, with Le Monde calling the results a “historic defeat” for François Hollande’s ruling Socialists.

The far right Front National has now reportedly won at least eight towns.

So far the party has won Fréjus (Var), Béziers (Hérault), Hayange (Moselle), Beaucaire (Gard), Villerets-Cotterêts (Aisne), Le Luc (Var), Le Pontet (Vaucluse) and Cogolin (Var). It has therefore seen particular support in the Var, with three towns so far.

The results coming in continue to also indicate success for the right wing UMP and for the centre right parties.

Centrist François Bayrou of MoDem has won Pau, which had been Socialist for 43 years.

Among towns which have swung to the right from the left are Toulouse, Brive-la-Gallarde, Quimper, Reims, Limoges, Evreux, Saint-Etienne, Roubaix and Anglet. Marseille has remained UMP, with a new victory for outgoing mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin.

Avignon is so far the most significant town to have swung to the left, won by the Socialists after 19 years under UMP control. Former Socialist leader Martine Aubry has kept Lille, the latest results show.

Photo:Inès Dieleman