Sarkozy set for fresh victory in French polls
Afp, Paris
The French headed back to the polls yesterday in parliamentary elections tipped to tighten President Nicolas Sarkozy's grip on power and give him the mandate he needs to push through his ambitious reforms. Sarkozy's UMP party has been riding high on the president's popularity since he was elected last month vowing to put an end to high unemployment, poor economic growth and social discontent in high-immigration suburbs. The right-wing party has ruled for the last five years in an unpopular government, but opinion polls predict that thanks to Sarkozy's electoral appeal it will increase its majority and emasculate the already weakened Socialists. Voting stations opened across France at 8:00 am (0600 GMT) for the first round of voting, with round two to be held next Sunday. They close 12 hours later, with normally reliable result projections due out immediately.
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