French left beats Sarkozy's party in regional vote

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is meeting his prime minister first thing today to work out a response to their conservative party’s crushing defeat in regional elections, a vote that informally kicked off the 2012 presidential race.

While no major government changes were expected, Sarkozy’s chief of staff, Claude Gueant, predicted a “modest reshuffle” in the days following Sunday’s regional elections.