Sarkozy’s Party Losing Ground in France

French President Nicolas Sarkozy his center-right UMP arty received a set back on Monday.
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Sarkozy’s Party Losing Ground in France
Russia wants to buy four Mistral helicopter-carrying assault warship, shown here, from NATO-member France in an unprecedented deal experts say reflects Kremlin efforts to accelerate military modernization. (Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images)
3/15/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015

<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/FRANCE.jpg" alt="French President Nicolas Sarkozy accompanied by first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, casts his vote at a Paris polling station for the French regional elections on March 14, 2010. (Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images)" title="French President Nicolas Sarkozy accompanied by first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, casts his vote at a Paris polling station for the French regional elections on March 14, 2010. (Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1822066"/></a>
French President Nicolas Sarkozy accompanied by first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, casts his vote at a Paris polling station for the French regional elections on March 14, 2010. (Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy his center-right UMP arty received a set back on Monday as results of regional elections showed that the party received just over one-quarter of the popular vote, putting them in second place behind the Socialist Party.

While Sarkozy himself has sought to downplay the importance of the regional elections, saying it only dealt with regional issues, critics and opposition leaders say that the public had expressed their discontent with the French president and his leadership.

“By this vote, the French people have sent a clear and strong message of refusal to a France that is divided, anguished, and weakened,” said Socialist Party leader Martine Aubry, according to the  BBC. The elections are the latest nationwide poll before the presidential elections in 2012.