France’s far-right National Front made gains in municipal elections, sparking calls for left and right-wing parties to stop its advance.

President Francois Hollande’s Socialist Party, bolstered by left-wing allies, is poised to take control of France’s lower house of parliament so he can revamp a country his partisans see as too capitalist and push to save the eurozone through growth.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, aiming to push through his reform-driven renaissance of the country, looked set to win a powerful majority as the French voted in today’s run-off elections for parliament. The only question was the size of the victory – large or massive.