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Conservative UMP party leads first round of France's departments election

Xinhua, March 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

France's Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) and its allies from the centre parties won the first round of the country's regional councils on Sunday, defeating the ruling Socialists who lost their third election test due to high unpopularity and rifts in their camp, according to an exit poll.

A CSA poll showed former president Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP and partners collecting 31 percent of the votes, snatching the first place and defeating the far-right National France (FN), widely expected to be the star performer of the first round.

Eying to register spectacular gains that could pave the way for Marine Le Pen to the Elysee Palace, FN candidates garnered 24.5 percent.

As expected, President Francois Hollande's Socialists secured 19.7 percent, 12 percentage points less than the first round of 2011's regional elections. Enditem