Polls put France’s National Front in regional elections lead

Polling agency projections suggest the far-right National Front took the lead in the first round of France’s regional elections.

The agencies Ifop, OpinionWay and Ipsos base their projections on actual vote count in select constituencies. They project that the National Front won between 27 and 30 percent support in Sunday’s voting, followed by former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s Republicans party and President Francois Hollande’s governing Socialists.

The elections Sunday took place in an unusually tense security climate, expected to favor conservative and far right candidates and strike a new blow against the Socialists.

While the National Front had significant support Sunday, the party may not be able to translate that into victory in the second-round voting December 13 for leadership of France’s 13 newly drawn regions.

— AP