French far-right fails to win any councils

Far-right Front National have won just 62 of the 4,108 seats in French local council elections and failed to win control anywhere.

Former president Nicolas Sarkozy’s conservative party, the UMP, and allies took control of 66 of the 98 councils at the expense of the left.

Front National leader Marine Le Pen says she was satisfied with her party’s performance.

In an interview with radio station RTL, Ms Le Pen noted that her party won a single seat in 2011.

She said: “I obviously express my satisfaction. We have multiplied by 62 our number of elected councilors.”

It is the latest in a series of elections that have expanded the Front National’s presence in French politics, part of Ms Le Pen’s strategy toward a 2017 presidential campaign.