Sarkozy and UMP party fight for lives

PRESIDENT Nicolas Sarkozy’s party yesterday fought to recover from a first-round beating in French regional elections that also saw the far-right National Front surge back.

Final results showed the opposition Socialists set to crush Sarkozy’s governing UMP party in Sunday’s second-round polls – the last major ballot before the 2012 presidential vote.

In a vote seen as a key test of Sarkozy’s popularity, the Socialists picked up 29.5% in the first round in the 22 regions, ahead of the UMP with 26.3%, the interior ministry said.