PACA (PS +1)

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: Still relatively close to the Socialists, the left held their position(s) well. In Digne-les-Bains, the incumbent DVG mayor was easily re-elected, with over 60%. In Manosque, a bit closer race for the UMP incumbent, who ended up winning 52-48. The Socialists held the general council, under the leadership of Jean-Louis Bianco, a top official in the 2007 Royal campaign.

Hautes-Alpes: In office since 2007 only, the PRG mayor of Gap, was supported for re-election by the UMP. He defeated a Socialist and DVD list in the runoff, taking 44.7% to the PS 43%. The NC mayor of Embrun was re-elected by the first round, barely, taking 50.5% against 30.6% to the PS, 14.4% to a DVD list and 4.5% to the MoDem. In the eastern city of Briancon, generally favourable to the right (despite the constituency having a PRG MP), the UMP incumbent Alain Bayrou was re-elected with 52%. After losing it in 2004 to the elderly DVG Auguste Treupheme, the UMP gained (outright) the department.

Alpes-Maritimes: In Nice, one of the country’s largest cities, and also a right-wing/far-right place, the battle involved two generations of UMP candidates. Firstly, the incumbent, the former FN deputy Jacques Peyrat, running again against the official UMP candidate; and the long-time Sarkozyste and official UMP candidate Christian Estrosi. Other candidates included Patrick Allemand (PS), Patrick Mottard (DVG), Lydia Schenardi (FN) and Herve Cael (MoDem-PRG-MEI). Estrosi passed the first round with 35.8% to 23.1% to Peyrat; Allemand took 22.3%. After obtaining nearly 12% in the 2001 locals, the FN collapsed to 4.2%, despite the department having the reputation of being strong for the FN. Estrosi was elected, with 41.33% to Allemand’s 33.2% (the left took 41.3% in 2001). Peyrat ended up with 25.5%. In the department’s other cities, all held by the right, the only real trouble was a plethora of DVD dissident lists here and there. In Cagnes-sur-Mer, the UMP won by the first round with 56%; the FN took 11.8% and won 2 seats. The Socialists, who came in second, and the MoDem list also won seats. Same scenario in Antibes, where the UMP took 59.3% by the first round. A DVD list came second with 15.9%, the PCF in third with 13.1% and the PS with a mere 11.7%. The presence of 4 right-wing lists in the first round and 3 in the runoff gave the race attention it would’ve never got otherwise. They even did a poll! The UMP incumbent topped the first round with 37%, followed by two DVD lists (one at 23.7%, a second at 20.8%). The PS took 10.43%. Brochand won the runoff with 40.7%, a DVD list followed with 37.1%. The PS took 11.7% and the other DVD list collapsed to 10.5%. The UMP won Grasse with 51% in the first round.

Bouches-du-Rhone: Originally considered a shoo-in for re-election, Jean-Claude Gaudin, the UMP mayor of Marseille saw his race tighten to the point that his seat was in jeopardy. The election came down to one sector, Marseille-3. The PS list leader, Jean-Noel Guerini was standing here, no doubt understanding the importance of the sector. However, the UMP’s Renaud Muselier won the sector, and the election, with 51.4%. The left, with Patrick Menucci gained Marseille-1 with 50.7%. No other sectors changed hands. The right held onto its strongholds in the south of the city, with Gaudin winning his 4th sector with 52.1% in the first round. The right won 58.7% in the 5th, and 54.4% in the 6th. In the left-wing sectors of the north, the Socialist held on well, as expected. It won Marseille-2 with 55% in the first round, and won 54.1% in Marseille-7 in a runoff with the UMP and the FN. With the Communist incumbent standing down in Marseille-8, the Socialists ran one of their own, and she won 52.3% by the first round. The seat representing that sector, in PCF hands since 1936, was lost to the PS in 2007. The FN, who had hoped to be kingmakers in Marseille failed to do so, being left in only one runoff already solid for the PS (Marseille-7). The race, of course, was close, the new council is now 51 UMP, 49 PS, 1 FN. In the grand Marseille, the parties held their ground. In La Ciotat, the UMP won with 53.8% by the first round, the PCF in a very far second. In Aubagne, the PCF incumbent, after receiving the support of the MoDem, fought off tough UMP opposition to win the runoff with 53.2%. In Marignane, held by Daniel Simonpieri (UMP, elected as MNR in 2001), the right-wing majority changed faces, with Simonpieri being defeated by a DVD candidate and a Socialist. The DVD list took over 51% in the runoff. In Bruno Megret’s city of Vitrolles, held by his equally-corrupt wife Catherine until 2002, and then won by the Socialists in a by-election in 2002 (Mrs. Megret’s re-election having been declared invalid), the left held the town. Guy Obino won 61.3% in the runoff. The FN was eliminated by the first round with 9.7%. The left held Martigues, with 57.6% in the first round largely trouncing the right, who had hoped to win the city. In Istres, a DVG list replaced the outgoing DVG mayor. In Arles, the Communist incumbent crushed the right by the first round, taking 57.7% against 18.5% for the UMP. In Salon-de-Provence, a top UMP target, the PS narrowly held the city with 53% in the runoff. In Aix-en-Provence, the UMP incumbent Maryse Joissains-Masini saw her seat threatened. She narrowly passed the first round with 33.8%, the PS taking nearly 30% and a MoDem list led by her former councillor took 20%. A poll saw her defeated in the runoff, but she passed. 44.28% against 42.94% for the PS. The MoDem’s supporter abandoned the MoDem, leaving it with 12.8%. Overall, a bad result for the right, which would’ve been disastrous if they had lost Marseille and/or Aix. But they failed to win in cities where Sarkozy had won, sometimes won big.

Var: Totally locked up for the right, the right held generally good. In Toulon, which had elected a FN (later MNR) mayor in 1995 and booted him out in 2001 by the first round in favour of Hubert Falco (DL, now UMP), the city renewed Falco easily. He won by the first round with 65.2% against 14.1% for the PS. The FN took 6.55% and one seat. A bit closer for the UMP in La Garde, where is nonetheless won 52.4-42.62 by the first round. An Indie took the rest. Division within the right in Hyeres, where the incumbent was standing down, resulted in the election of a DVD mayor with only 34.22% in the runoff, the UMP taking 30.6% and another DVD taking 19.41. Easy re-election for the UMP in Frejus, with 62.7% against 24.81% for the PS and 12.5% for the FN. Same thing in neighboring Saint-Raphael, with 62.9% for the UMP in the first round, the PS and MoDem far behind. After a very narrow gain by the UMP in 2001, the right held Draguignan with 44.13% in the runoff, despite the presence of a DVD dissident list. In Six-Fours-les-Plages, the UMP incumbent held his seat with 53.7% in the first round, the MoDem beating the PS for third place. The only really disputed city in the whole department of the Var, La-Seyne-sur-Mer (in PCF hands until recently) was gained by the PS narrowly: 50.65% against 49.13% for the incumbent. Total PS +1

Vaucluse: After defeating PS star-candidate Elisabeth Guigou in a landslide in 2001, the race in 2008 was much, much closer in Avignon for Marie-Josee Roig. She won with 51.9% overall. In Orange, where the FN mayor Jacques Bompard had won by the first round in 2001, but later switched to the MPF (to possibly play the role of FN-lite), the UMP thought they could defeat him. So they ran a candidate. Who got eaten alive. Only 12.05% against 60.97% for Bompard (superior to his 2001 score in fact). It doesn’t seem like voters in Orange want to return to democracy yet. In Carpentras, the third city of the Vaucluse, division proved fatal to the right, who ran 2 lists in the runoff. The PS got 38.97%, the UMP incumbent took 35.91%. A killer list, DVD, took 17.46% and defeated the right. The FN took 7.65%. In Apt, another gain for the left, taking a whooping 60.8% against the incumbent in the runoff. The right took one city, Pertuis, to cancel out one of the other gains. 47.44% for the UMP, the left taking 35.25%. A DVD list took the rest. Another victory for the right in Bollene, for a gain from the left by the MPF Marie-Claude Bompard, the wife of Jacques. She took 47.95%, taking many votes from the electorate of the official UMP candidate.

Languedoc-Roussillon (PS +3)

Aude: Despite being one of France’s most solid Socialist departments, the right nevertheless controls Carcassone, the department’s major city. And they held it despite the Socialist hopes to score an upset. It was close, with 50.22% of the runoff vote favouring the UMP incumbent. However, in the 37-year old right-wing city of Narbonne, the Socialists scored a large upset win, taking 57% to the DVD incumbent’s 43%. In Limoux, the task of holding the city was quite easy for the PS, who took 100%. In Castelnaudary, the Socialists crushed right-wing hopes at a pickup, and won 67% in the first round. In the general council, the Socialists barely extended their already enormous majority. Former presidential candidate Gerard Schivardi (PT) kept his seat in the general council and his seat as Mayor of Mailhac. Total PS +1

Gard: Formerly a Communist region, with the PCF bases in the Cevennes and Petite Camargue, the Gard is slowly shifting to the right. In Nimes, the UMP mayor Jean-Paul Fournier handily defeated the former PCF mayor Alain Clary 54-46. Same scenario in Ales, where Max Roustan (UMP) won by the first round, taking 54% to 23.8% to the PCF, 16.7% to the PS and 5.7% to the FN (the FN used to be relatively big in the Gard, up till 2007 etc). The right held Villeneuve-les-Avignons (58%, R1), Beaucaire (DVD gain from UMP, 41%, R2), Saint-Gilles (42.3%, R2) and Vauvert (50.1%, runoff). The only gain for the left came in Bagnols-sur-Ceze, where the PS took 53.6% in a runoff against a divided right. Total PS +1

Herault: In Montpellier, where some had hoped for a right-wing upset, the left was easily re-elected, so easily that the Greenies declined to support the PS in the runoff because the seat was not in jeopardy. In fact, Helene Mandroux took 51.9% (despite strong Greenies, 18.7%) to 29.5% to the UMP deputy Jacques Domergue. In the suburb of Mauguio, a city where Sarkozy had taken 60% of the vote, the UMP was eliminated by the first round to finish the runoff with a DVG (incumbent)-PS runoff. The right held Luniel, the Communist Sete (despite some saying it was fragile for them), Agde, and Beziers.

Lozere: Despite being administratively part of the Languedoc-Roussillon, Lozere has a political behaviour closer to that of the Cantal or other southern and Catholic regions of the Massif Central. Nevertheless, the left has a small foothold in Mende and the 1st constituency (usually not enough to win). It capitalized on the retirement of the MoDem incumbent there to gain the city for the first time since World War II. Alain Bertrand (PS) took 51.5% in the runoff, defeating the UMP candidate. The right held Marvejols with 44.8% in a runoff against the PS and the MoDem, and held Saint-Chely-d’Apcher in a DVD (inc)-PS-UMP runoff. Total PS +1

Pyrenees-Orientales: Despite the indications by polls that the election in Perpignan would not be close and that the UMP incumbent Jean-Paul Alduy would have no difficulties for re-election, he did have difficulties… and they continue today. In the first round, Alduy won 38.9% to 20.2% to the PS (plus another 15.1% to a DVG list). The FN took 12.3% and qualified for the runoff (they had not done so in 2001 due to a MNR winning 3.7% to the FN’s 9.3%). With the DVG candidate resigning in order to support the Socialist candidate, the race got closer. Alduy ended up winning with 45.48% to 44.11% to the PS, the FN losing votes to be left with 10.4%. Then the stories started. They caught a returning officer with ballots stuffed in his socks. The Socialists called the vote rigged and a symbolic manifestation with socks took place outside the town hall. Alduy was elected mayor by the council (not without some arguments), but the affair is with the courts now. The Socialists want to hold a re-vote. Apart from that, the UMP mayor in Canet-en-Roussillon was easily re-elected, but the UMP attempts to win back the general council failed.

Next: PACA

Mid-Pyrenees (PS +9)

Ariège: In the Radical-Socialist stronghold of Ariège, which was already quite left-wing before the elections, the situation changed very little. In Pamiers (northern city in the 2nd constituency, the most right-wing one), held by a UDF-MoDem incumbent, the left was unsuccessful in their attempts to gain; possibly because of vote splitting (a Greenie qualified for the runoff and maintained themselves). Trigano, the incumbent, narrowly squeaked by with a bit over 50%. In Foix, the department’s prefecture, the Socialist incumbent faced a tough battle, not against the right of course, but against the left! He was nonetheless re-elected, with 44.5% to 37.1% for a DVG list and 9.2% to a PCF list. The right got last and 9.1%. In the general council, only one seat changed hands- from PS to DVG. The Socialists hold 18 of 22 seats (+1 DVG), the right has a total of 3 (2 UMP, 1 DVD).

Aveyron: The only department that is not of Radical tradition and still strongly Catholic, the Aveyron is also the most right-wing department in the region. However, the left has been making important progress as of late, and continued this in the locals. In Millau, Jacques Godfrain was defeated, with the left taking 54% in the runoff to his mere 38.1% (a DVD list took an additional 7.9%) . In Rodez, the department’s main city, it was the same scenario. With the UMP incumbent Marc Censi stepping down and the right divided between two lists, the scene was perfect for the Socialist Christian Teyssedre, who won by the first round with 52.5%. In third, the UMP took 15.5%. The city has never had a Socialist mayor since the 1960s. Only in Villefrance-de-Rouergue, the right slipped back for another term by the first round with 51.5%. Two left-wing lists and a MoDem list took the rest. The general council stayed with the UMP, but with the long-time President (since 1976) Jean Puech being replaced. Total PS +2

Haute-Garonne: Voters in Toulouse voted to end an inconsistency. Despite voting strongly for the left in national elections (57.6% for Royal in the runoff), the right had held the city since 1971. Even in the left-wing landslide of 1977, the Socialist hadn’t won the city back. Well, they did in 2008, albeit narrowly. In the first round, the UMP incumbent Jean-Luc Moudenc pulled ahead with 42% to the Socialist Pierre Cohen’s 39%. The MoDem took a mere 5.9%, but enough to merge (with the UMP) and a Alternatifs (far-left, but not entirely Trot) list led by the former Socialist Francois Simon took 5.42% and the real Trot-list took 5.1%. However, Simon mobilized abstentionists and took 50.42% in the runoff, narrowly defeating Moudenc. The scenario was the same in Saint-Gaudens, the left gained the city with 51.8%; and the same in Muret, where the PS gained the city with 52.07%. The right narrowly held Castanet-Tolosan, a Toulouse suburb. Total PS +3

Gers: Another department generally strong for the left, the PS did relatively well. As expected, it held Auch with over 60% in the runoff and got lucky in Condom, where they defeated the UMP incumbent by 14 votes. Total PS +1

Lot: Another Radical stronghold, the left did extremely well in the locals. In Cahors, the 35-year old PS candidate defeated the UMP incumbent with a whooping 67.1%. In Gourdon, considered favourable for the right, the left took 59.5% against the UMP incumbent. With this, the re-election of the left in Figeac was a formality, and indeed it was. The PS incumbent won re-election by the first round with over 66% of the votes. Total PS +2

Hautes-Pyrenees:  Despite being very left-wing (and another Radical territory), the right in the Hautes-Pyrenees won the local elections. Threatened in Tarbes by the PS deputy and former minister Jean Glavany, the UMP held the city with 54%. In Lourdes, the former city of the centrist Philippe Douste-Blazy, the UMP held it narrowly, with 51%. On the cantonales scene, the Radicals lost the presidency to the PS, who now holds more cantons than the PRG. From 6 presidencies in 2001, the PRG now has a mere 2.

Tarn: A split department, with a Socialist north and a more conservative south, a general status-quo prevailed, with one exception. In Albi, although located in the north, the right won a new term, with 54% in the runoff. However, in Graulhet, the left defeated the right and won with 50.07% in a three-way runoff against 2 right-wing lists. In the two southern conservative cities of Castres and Mazamet, the right won, with 50.32% (+17.5% to a DVD) in Castres and 62.4% in Mazamet. Total PS +1

Tarn-et-Garonne: In the last truly Radical department of the region, with the Radical leadership assumed by the PRG leader and Senator Jean-Michel Baylet, the left was not able to win back its big 2001 loss- Montauban. In Montauban, Brigitte Bareges, elected in 2001 in a PS-RPR-FN runoff on a campaign based on security, she narrowly won a second term with 50.3%. In Moissac, the PS held the city with 54%. However, the left’s division in Castelsarrasin helped re-elect the MoDem Bernard Dagen, with 50.5%. Jean-Michel Baylet was re-elected, for his part, as the department’s head of government.

Next:Languedoc-Rousillon

Aquitaine (PS +2)

Dordogne: A complete political renewal, or almost, took place in Dordogne. Firstly, the most interesting result, the Education Minister, Xavier Darcos, was narrowly defeated by the Socialist Michel Moyrand in his re-election bid in Perigueux. Trailing by the first round (45.25 to 45.7 for Moyrand), despite the MoDem’s support, Darcos lost with 49.58 in the runoff. In Bergerac, the same thing happened- the DVD incumbent was defeated by a Socialist. The right, formerly controlling all 3 major cities, now controls one, Sarlat-la-Caneda. Total PS +2

Gironde: Despite being defeated in June 2007 (in a climate favourable to the right), Juppe was easily re-elected in Bordeaux, with the support of the MoDem, against the regional president Alain Rousset. He was re-elected by the first round, trouncing Rousset 56.62-34.14. The FN lost its only seat on the city council, not passing the 5% threshold (it took 2.6% and fourth). In the suburbs of Libourne (where the son of Mitterrand was re-elected), Merignac, and Pessac; all 3 PS-DVG incumbents were easily re-elected. The left, however, did not hold onto La-Teste, where the UMP gained the city. Total UMP +1

Landes: Despite a status-quo prediction by most, the results in the left-wing stronghold of the Landes was not status-quo, far from it. Dax, projected to remain in UMP hands, was lost to the PS. However, the PS lost Mont-de-Marsan to a MoDem list supported by the UMP. In the general council, Henri Emanuelli (PS) was re-elected, the left (PS-PCF) controls 26 of the department’s 30 seats!

Lot-et-Garonne: After conquering Agen and Villeneuve-sur-Lot in 2001, the Socialists were defeated in Agen by the NC deputy Jean-Dionis du Sejour, who took 52.25% in the runoff. In Villeneuve-sur-Lot however, the Socialists were given another term, with almost 60% in the runoff. The left also held Marmande by the first round. In the general council, the left was able to gain the control of the department with Pierre Camani becoming President. Total NC +1

Pyrenees-Atlantiques: The results in the Pyrenees-Atlantiques were a mixed bag for 3 parties. In Pau, the city where the MoDem leader and 2007 presidential candidate (winning 18.6%) Francois Bayrou had hoped to win, was defeated by a relatively unknown local Socialist leader. She also defeated the Gauche Moderne (ex-PS, supported by the UMP) incumbent, Yves Urieta, in office since the death of the Socialist ‘king’ of Pau, André Labarrère, in 2006. She took 39.76 to 38.81 to Bayrou, Urieta took only 21.42. However, if Urieta had stayed out of the runoff, Bayrou could have been elected. In Orthez, the PS defeated the incumbent with over 60% in the runoff. Same result, but closer in Oloron-Sainte-Marie, where the PS was able to gain with 50.92 in the runoff. On the right-wing cities along the coast, a status-quo more or less prevailed. In Bayonne, the DVD incumbent won in a three-way runoff against a PS candidate and another DVD. In Biarritz, the MoDem incumbent prevailed in a four-way runoff (MoDem, DVD, PS, DVG). In the city of the Interior Minister, Michele Alliot-Marie, she was of course easily re-elected with 55.6 in the first round. The Basque nationalists, though, took nearly 20% of the vote. Finally, in the only major left-wing city on the coast, Hendaye, the right was able to pull off an upset in a three-way with the Basque nationalists (who took nearly 10% in the runoff). The Basque nationalists, however, lost their only seat in the general council to the UMP. In the general council, led by the MoDem, the PS obtained a near-majority of seats, but when it came down to elect the President, a non-breakable tie happened and the UMP Jean Castaings was elected, being the oldest candidate. Total PS +2

Next: Midi

Limousin (PS +2)

Correze: Chiracquia has fallen. In Tulle, the first secretary of the PS, Francois Hollande was re-elected with over 72% by the first round (compared to only 51% in 2001). The pink tsunami in the department also made two other right-wing cities, Brive-la-Gaillarde and Ussel fall to the left. Ussel is in fact located in the 3rd constituency, the only remaining UMP constituency and Chirac’s stronghold. The tsunami also made the general council of Correze finally switch to the left. The most right-wing department in the Limousin is now left-wing. Total PS +2

Creuse: The re-election of the 3 major city Socialist mayors in the Creuse was a simple formality, the left took 73% in Gueret, 60% in La Souterraine, and “only” 59.75% in Aubusson. All this, of course, by the first round.

Haute-Vienne: In the Limousin’s most left-wing department, where division does not result in a right-wing gain, the left was of course easily re-elected in Limoges and Saint-Junien. Alain Rodet, the PS mayor of Limoges took 56% and the left took 73% in Saint-Junien. All this, of course, by the first round.

Auvergne (=)

Allier: Despite the general council switching to the left, the left didn’t do so good in the communes. In Montlucon, the UMP incumbent was barely re-elected with 50 some percent, with the PS far behind with 24% and the PCF with 21.6%. In Moulins, the UMP incumbent squeaked by, with 46% to 44.4% to the PS. However, there was a dissident DVD list. In Vichy, the UMP incumbent was re-elected with 51.2% in the runoff. The general council, however, gave the left a majority over the right. To compensate for them losing the Seine-Saint-Denis to the PS, the PS gave the Communists the presidency of the Allier department. The PCF had held the department until 2001.

Cantal: In the first constituency, less conservative and more urban than the second, the left, already holding Aurillac, was easily re-elected, with over 63% in the runoff. In the rural second constituency, the right was re-elected with 66% in Saint-Flour, a stronghold for the right.

Haute-Loire: In the stronghold of the catholic right, the right did well, better than in 2001 in fact. Despite the department being a stronghold for the right, Le-Puy-en-Velay is an exception. In 2001, the left gained Le-Puy-en-Velay to the general surprise. However, in 2008, the UMP, led by then-government spokesperson Laurent Wauquiez gained the city by the first round with around 56%. In Yssingeaux, the right-wing incumbent was re-elected with 69%. Total UMP +1

Puy-de-Dome: The bastion of Giscardie, the Puy-de-Dome is still the base of the Auvergne left. Indeed, in Issoire, the left benefited from the presence of two DVD lists to defeat, with a plurality, the incumbent DVD mayor. The total of the right, however, was larger than that of the left. In Riom, the PS took 53.64% by the first round, defeating the UMP and a MoDem at 20%. In Thiers, there was no right-wing list, leaving the battle between the DVG incumbent and the PS candidate. The DVG incumbent took 56%. In Clermont-Ferrand, where the far left is often over to 10% threshold, 2008 was no different. After Brice Hortefeux declined to run in Clermont for the UMP, the competitiveness of the city ended and Serge Godard (PS) was likely to win. He did win, in a four-way runoff. He took 51.7% in the runoff, compared to 22.34% for the UMP and a non-negligible 15.34% for the far-left. The MoDem took 10.6%. In Chamalieres, Giscard’s city now held by his son, his son was re-elected with 57%. Total PS +1

Basse-Normandie (PS +2)

Calvados: After the defeat of the two incumbent UMP/NC deputies last June in Caen, the right was in a comfortable position to take Caen from the hands of Brigitte Le Brethon, the UMP incumbent. The right and before that the centrists had ruled Caen since 1959. However, the pink wave of 2008 benefited the left, which won 56.3% in the runoff, largely defeating the incumbent. In the more conservatives cities of Vire, Bayeux, and Lisieux, right-wing incumbents were easily defeated, despite the fact that Vire and Bayeux were starting to trend towards the left. Total PS +1

Manche: The Manche confirmed its friendliness to incumbents again in 2008, giving the right another term in St-Lo, despite many saying that the right was about to lose it. In the working-class region of Cherbourg-Octeville, the PS incumbent was, of course, easily re-elected. The constituency of Cherbourg-Octeville, the 5th constituency, is in fact the only constituency in the right-wing department to have elected Socialist deputies.

Orne: Despite still being largely dominated by the right in the general council, the Orne’s 2 largest municipalities are now Socialist. The PS successfully held Argentan, with over 60% and the PS gained Alencon by the first round, largely defeating the UMP incumbent. In Flers, the race was not stressful for the DVG incumbent, who won no less than 100%. Total PS +1

Haute-Normandie (PS-PCF-DVG +3)

Eure: The left-wing wave in Seine-Maritime (see below) also spilled into Eure and its prefecture of Evreux. Evreux, formerly held by the UMP Jean-Louis Debre (now president of the Constitutional Council), decided to dump his UMP successor, Jean-Pierre Nicolas in favour of a new DVG mayor, Michel Champredon. Elsewhere, however, no notable change took place, with the right holding onto Bernay and Vernon and the left holding onto Louviers and Val-de-Reuil. Total DVG +1

Seine-Maritime: The left wave really stands out in Seine-Maritime. The largest result for the left was in Rouen, where the PS candidate defeated, by the first round, the centrist-UDF incumbent Pierre Albertini. Rouen, had elected centrist mayors since 1945 (except for one PS between 1995 and 2001), the most notable of whom was Jean Lecanuet. In Dieppe, despite the fact that the CNIP incumbent was not standing again, the left, led by a young Communist, won by the first round. In Le Havre, however, the PCF failed to win this other communist area from the hands of the UMP Antoine Rufenacht. After merging lists with the PS, the PCF candidate and deputy Daniel Paul lost, with the UMP taking about 54.7%. In two other cities held by the left, such as Elbeuf and Fecamp, the left largely won. Total PS +1 PCF +1

Next: Limousin, Auvergne

Centre (PS-PCF +2)

Cher: The results in the Cher were not that surprising taken as a whole. The Radical-UMP mayor of Bourges, Serge Lepeltier, was re-elected to his office by the first round, defeating a PS and far-left list. The west of the Cher, meaning the 2nd constituency, is still a Communist “stronghold”, still held by the PCF in the National Assembly. It confirmed its alliegance to the PCF by largely dumping the DVD mayor in Vierzon in favour of a Communist. This all happened by the first round, with Sansu (PCF) defeating the DVD incumbent with over 57.6% of the votes. In the rural southern conservative city of Saint-Amand-Montrond, the right kept its hand on the city, easily, defeating the MoDem and PS in the runoff. The right, which had hopes to win the department back, failed to do so. Total PCF +1

Eure-et-Loir: To the general surprise, stability prevailed in the major cities of Eure-et-Loir. The most surprising result was the UMP mayor Jean-Pierre Gorges holding Chartres, even more surprising considering that a month before that, the Socialists had won his seat in a by-election. In fact, the race was a re-match between the same candidates (the UMP, PS, and MoDem list leaders had all stood in the by-election). Gorges was re-elected, when polls gave him defeated and pundits had signed off Chartres as an easy PS gain. Also noteworthy is the MoDem collapse in Chartres, falling to just 13.7% compared to over 18% in the by-election and June general election. Stability also prevailed elsewhere, the left held Nogent-le-Rotrou and the right held Dreux (a former FN stronghold under the Stirbois family inc.). In Chateaudun, a UMP dissident defeated the UMP mayor. For an unrelated lighter note, the UMP president of the general council, Albéric de Montgolfier is related to the Mongolfier brothers…

Indre: The largest city of the Indre department, Chateauroux, in PS hands until 2001, failed to switch to the left and the UMP incumbent was re-elected with 50.23% by the first round. The left held Le Blanc and Issoudun, the department’s left-wing bastion.

Indre-et-Loire: On the municipal level, the left, already controlling the two major cities of Tours and Amboise, held both of them easily. In Tours, the former stronghold of the christian conservative Jean Royer (until 1995, type Jean Royer on ina.fr for fun) the Socialist Jean Germain defeated the UMP sacrificial lamb, former Minister of Culture Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres (already defeated in June 2007). The MPF candidate and the rising star of the party, Guillaume Peltier won 8% in the city and won 21% in the canton of Tours-Val de Cher. The left also held Amboise with 58.9%, despite it having given Sarkozy 55% in May 2007. On the cantonales scene, the left gained the general council for the first time ever. The right had controlled the department since… 1958.

Loir-et-Cher: The left scored an important victory in the department, taking the prefecture of Blois from the NC incumbent. In addition, they held Vendome narrowly against a right which had hoped to cancel out Blois with a gain in Vendome. In the leftist city of Romorantin-Lanthenay, the PS incumbent was re-elected with about 63% by the first round. Total PS +1

Loiret: Serge Grouard, the UMP incumbent, held Orleans narrowly, with 51.37%. In Montargis and Gien, the two other cities of the department, the right easily won, as expected, but with the independent PCF lists doing well, with over 20% in Montargis and 14.6% in Gien.

Next: Normandie

Bretagne (UMP&DVD +4)

Ille-et-Vilaine: The result in Ille-et-Vilaine was status quo, as it had been expected to some extent. Daniel Delaveau, Edmond Herve’s chosen successor, was easily elected in the socialist city of Rennes in a three-way runoff against the UMP and the MoDem. In fact Delaveau increased his mentor’s 2001 score. In Saint-Malo, the UMP incumbent was re-elected in a three-way runoff with the MoDem. In Vitre, the long time stronghold of Pierre Mehaignerie, the figure of the UDF and later UMP in the department, Mehaignerie was re-elected by the first round with 62.4%. The race in Fougères could have been interesting if Thierry Benoit, the centrist MP for the Fougères constituency, had thrown his hat into the race. That was not to be, and the Socialist incumbent was re-elected with over 60%. Redon, which is slowly trending Socialist, was a Socialist target, but the DVD incumbent was re-elected. In Dinard, the most solid right-wing city in the department, the right took the leisure of going into the election divided (as they do in everyone of their strongholds) between 2 DVD lists. The DVD list led by the incumbent mayor was re-elected with 47.28 against 43.69 for the other DVD candidate. However, the canton of Dinard flipped to the Left Radicals in the cantonales elections!

Cotes d’Armor: In the left-wing bastion that is Cotes d’Armor, the left has reason to be deceived. In Saint-Brieuc, a Socialist stronghold gained by the UDF in 2001 and now held by the MoDem, the MoDem incumbent, supported by the UMP, was re-elected, and even increased his score over 2001, winning 54.3% agaist 51.7% in 2001. In Dinan, another Socialist target, the right was re-elected. Unsurprisingly, the left sweeped re-election in Lannion and Guingamp while the right was re-elected in Loudeac, the department’s most right-wing city.

Morbihan: As in Ille-et-Vilaine, the status-quo prevailed in the right-leaning Morbihan. The UMP incumbent, a notable anti-Sarkozy, was re-elected in Vannes with 51.6 and the Socialists won by the first round, as expected, in Lorient with 64%. The left also held Auray, a right-wing target, and Pontivy.

Finistere: The left’s only major gain regionwide was in Quimper, Finistere where the MEP Bernard Poignant and mayor of the city from 1998 to 2001 retrieved his seat, lost to the right in 2001, in a three-way runoff against the UMP and the MoDem. The UMP incumbent was not standing for re-election. In Brest, the PS incumbent was re-elected with over 60%. However, the rest of the department was extremely favourable to the right! Right-wing candidates defeated left-wing incumbents in Morlaix, Landerneau, Douarnenez, Quimperle, and Concarneau; all cities which vote for the left in other elections. Total UMP&DVD +4.

Loire-Atlantique: Another department that ended up entirely status-quo. Ayrault was easily re-elected in Nantes with 55.7% by the first round, like in 2001. In Saint-Nazaire, the Socialist incumbent needed to wait until the runoff to be elected, but his seat was never in jeopardy anyways. The right held on successfully to its strongholds in La Baule-Escoublac and Guerande, and squeaked through in Orvault.

Pays de la Loire (=)

Vendee: Guess what happened here? Status-quo! The left swept through in La Roche-sur-Yon by the first round and held Fontenay-le-Comte by a whisker. The right had hoped to win Fontenay-le-Comte, but they did what they’re best at: run divided in the runoff and lose! The right did hold Les Herbiers, Challans, and Les Sables-d’Olonne. Philippe de Villiers, the MPF leader and the Führer of Vendee since 1988 was given another term in office.

Maine-et-Loire: The right had hoped to win Angers, and the UMP candidate did come first in the first round. However, with good vote reserves from the far-left and the PCF, the Socialist incumbent squeaked back into office by a whisker. In the southwest the UMP held Cholet by the first round and gained Saumur from the Greenies. Total UMP +1

Mayenne: In Mayenne, the left gained Laval, a city it had lost in 1995 to the right,  by the first round. The left was easily returned in Mayenne (city, not department!) and the right was easily re-elected in Château-Gontier. The MoDem president of the department Jean Arthuis was re-elected. Total PS +1

Sarthe: Guess what happened here? Status-quo! As expected, the Socialists easily held onto Le Mans by the first round and the PS incumbent in La Flèche. The right, on its side, held on to Sable-sur-Sarthe very easily and as expected. I don’t go off into small villages, but in the village of Solesmes the Prime Minister, Francois Fillon, held onto his seat in the city council.

Poitou-Charentes (PS +3)

Charente-Maritime: The only gain in the major cities of Charente-Maritime was the PS victory in Saintes. The PS mayor Maxime Bono held La Rochelle by the first, as expected, and retained Rochefort 52-48 in the runoff. The right, on its side, held Royan. In the general council, the UMP majority was returned, but the department is now led by the former UMP minister of Transports Dominique Bussereau. Total PS +1

Charente: The Charente department confirmed its alliegance to the left by dumping two right-wing incumbents in Angoulême (the department’s prefecture) and Cognac while retaining the PS majority in the general council. Total PS +2

Deux-Sevres: The home department of Segolene Royal, the PS leader of the region, continued trending to the left. In Niort, the department’s main city, the left was returned (but the incumbent himself was defeated in favour of another Socialist) very easily. The left also gained Thouars, located in the north of the department while the right held onto its cities of Bressuire and Parthenay. The department swinged to the left, with the Socialists ending the right-wing domination of the department in effect since the 1970s. Total PS +1

Vienne: In Poitiers, the Socialist incumbent was returned by the first round. In Loudun, the right held the city, despite the incumbent retiring. The New Centre gained Châtellerault, the department’s second largest city, with the election of NC deputy Jean-Pierre Abelin. Total NC +1

Next: Centre, Normandie

PS: It is incontestable that there was a sharp swing to the left, specifically the Socialists, in the first round. The PS gained Rouen and Laval by the first round, Delanoe won over 40% in Paris, Collomb was re-elected in Lyon by the first round, and the PS is threateningly close to the UMP in Marseille. In Strasbourg, Caen, Amiens, Reims, Colombes and other cities, the PS came first, beating the UMP or centrist incumbent. Finally, in Toulouse, the left seems to have the upper hand in the runoff against the UMP incumbent. Also, numerous Socialist mayors were re-elected by the first round, such as Francois Hollande who took 72.25% in Tulle.

UMP: While some predicted a 1977-like rout for the majority, the right resisted generally well. Unexpectedly, they came first in Angers against the PS incumbent and first in Toulouse (where polls predicted a second-place finish). While they did horribly in Lyon and badly in Paris, in smaller cities the right resisted well against a pink wave. In fact, Laurent Wauquiez gained Le Puy-en-Velay in Haute-Loire from the PS and Luc Chatel did likewise in Chaumont, Haute-Loire. The UMP also has a chance to pick up cities like Calais, Saumur, or Belfort. Internal divisions prevented the UMP from first round victories in cities like Nice, Boulogne-Billancourt, Versailles, or Neuilly.

MoDem: The results of the MoDem are a mixed bag. While they did well in cities like Rennes, Quimper, Arras, Saint-Etienne, Saint-Brieuc, or Paris the MoDem came second in its leader’s hometown, Pau and got mediocre results in Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg, Nice, or Toulouse. In Paris the MoDem can maintain itself in only 3 runoffs (5, 7, 14). Incumbent MoDem mayors did well, Vanlerenberghe was re-elected with over 55%, even though some had predicted his defeat. In Saint-Brieuc, the capital of the Cotes-d’Armor and a very left-wing city, Bruno Joncour took with 44.7% and improved his score over 2001!

Communist Party: The Communists resisted, in most cases, formidably well to both its perennial decline and PS-prompted primaries. In the “9-3 primaries” where PCF mayor also faced PS candidates, the Communists resisted well and are favoured, in most cases, to hold the towns in the runoffs. In La Courneuve, the Communist mayor led the Socialists by about 10%; in Saint-Denis or Bagnolet it led by 20%. It was closer in Aubervilliers where the runoff is between the PCF-PS-MoDem-UMP. The Communists, with their 36-year old candidate, Sébastien Jumel, gained Diepp, a city lost in 2001. The Communists also gained Vierzon. However, the Communists are also facing difficulties, in cities like Calais, or in the general council of Seine-Saint-Denis, where the Socialist Claude Bartolone is poised to replace the Communist leadership of the department.

Greens: The Greens, which were counting on the elections to revive their chances did OK. While they saw their vote in Paris halved compared to their 12% in 2001; the party got 19% in Valence, 11.6% in Lille, 11.1% in Montpellier, and 16.8% in Quimper. In most of these cases, or all of these cases, the Greens are likely to merge with the Socialist list as they already did in Paris. In Saumur, however, where the Green mayor was re-elected by the first round in 2001, the right has a definite chance at a pickup.

FN: After a disastrous year in 2007, March 2008 was not much better for the FN. His daughter was far behind the unpopular PS incumbent in Henin-Beaumont and the party did horribly in its former strongholds (such as Nice, where they got only 4.2%). The FN score rose a bit in Marseille, where it is qualified for the runoff in the Marseille-7 sector against the UMP and the PS. In Toulon, a city in FN/MNR hands until 2001, the FN candidate polled 6.55%; in Megret’s Vitrolles, the FN was eliminated with its 9.74%. In some regions, the FN did not even run candidates, such as in Brittany. It was eligible for 40 runoffs in cities with 30,000+ population in 2001, the FN is eligible for only 7 in 2008. The FN is in the runoff in Calais (where it may merge with the UMP to defeat the PCF), Mulhouse (against Bockel and the PS), and Perpignan (a four-way runoff, UMP-PS-DVG-FN).

A bit of history now with a look at the results in the locals since 1945.

29 April and 13 May 1945: As voters went to the polls in the first round, France was still at war, Germany surrendered on May 7. For the first time ever in France, women were allowed to vote, resulting in 50% more voters than pre-war. In the first round, the Communists are favoured, while the radicals and moderates were trounced. The christian democrats of the MRP realized an unexpected breakthrough. In the runoff however, the MRP collapsed while the moderates, radicals, SFIO, and PCF were able to win numerous cities.

19 and 26 October 1947: The election of 1947 was the first local election held under the 4th Republic. While the MRP was severely defeated, the Gaullist RPF realized excellent results (winning Bordeaux, Rennes, Strasbourg, Paris etc). The Communists, who had been excluded from the government in the spring, were isolated in working-class cities primarily.

26 April and 3 May 1953: After the very favourable 1947 election, but a less favourable time in the National Assembly, the RPF collapsed to 10%, but the centre and the CNIP limited the right’s defeat. The Communists lost over 10%.

8 and 15 March 1959: After coming to power in 1958 under the 5th Republic, the 1959 locals were the first municipal elections under the new republic. After exceptional scores in 1958, the Gaullist UDR realized mediocre scores. The MRP, radicals, SFIO, and Communists held their positions.

14 and 21 March 1965: Like in 1959, the UDR realized deceiving results (although they did moderately gain). The Communists gained, but they also came out of their isolation and started co-operating with other parties of the parliamentary left.

14 and 21 March 1971: Georges Pompidou had been in power since 1969 by 1971. The UDR gained in the radical south-west while the PCF gained in the north and east. On the left, the socialists, although still administering numerous cities with the “moderates”, the strategy of unions with the PCF developed, marked mostly by the withdrawal of candidates in runoff to profit one party.

13 and 20 March 1977: By 1977, Valery Giscard d’Estaing had been in power since 1974. The Communists and PS, united under a “government program” swept the elections. Out of 221 cities with over 30,000 inhabitants, the left won 155. The Socialists gained Rennes, Angers, Brest, Nantes, Villeurbanne, Pau, and Cannes. The Communists gained Le Mans, Reims, and Saint-Etienne. For the first time, green parties realized their first breakthroughs.

For the first time since 1789, elections were held to the mayorship of Paris. The former Prime Minister and RPR candidate Jacques Chirac was elected, defeating notably the Giscardian Michel d’Ornano.

6 and 13 March 1983: The left, in power since only two years, was defeated in the 1983 locals by the RPR-UDF. The Communists lost Saint-Etienne and Reims, while the PS lost Tourcoing, Grenoble, and Roubaix. They narrowly held Marseille (with Gaston Defferre) against Jean-Claude Gaudin (UDF). In Paris, Chirac was easily re-elected, sweeping all arrondissements.

12 and 19 March 1989: After the 1983 disaster, the left did relatively good in 1989. They gained Nantes, Strasbourg, Brest, Orleans, Mulhouse, Avignon, Chambery, and Blois while losing Amiens, Saint-Malo, and Laon. The Communists continued their decline. Chirac repeated his 1983 sweep in Paris, but the PS did the same in Marseille. The FN won their first city, Saint-Gilles in the Gard. The Greens and ecologists did well, winning over 600 seats and around 15 cities.

11 and 18 June 1995: Held only a month after Chirac’s election as President, the 1995 locals presented contrasted results for both parties. The right gained Marseille, Le Havre (a Communist stronghold), Laval, and held Paris and Lyon. The PS, however, gained in both Paris and Lyon and took back Grenoble, and Tours. The Communists re-took Nimes. The far-right did well, with the FN winning in Toulon, Orange, and Marignane.

11 and 18 March 2001: The 2001 elections were generally favourable for the right, who was now in the parliamentary opposition. However, the right’s division in Paris and Lyon led to the PS gaining those two cities. They did, however, take Strasbourg, Aix-en-Provence, Argenteuil (a PCF stronghold since 1934), Blois (Jack Lang defeated), Chartres, Drancy (a PCF stronghold since 1935), Nimes, Orleans, and Saint-Brieuc. The left gained Ajaccio (from the bonapartists of Charles Napoleon), Dijon, and Tulle. The Greens did well, winning 16% in Besancon and winning Saumur by the first round. The far-right, divided between FN and MNR lost Toulon but held Orange, Vitrolles, and Marignane. By 2008, however, none of these three cities are still held by the FN or MNR.