A landslide victory for France's left-wing opposition in regional elections has put President Jacques Chirac under intense pressure to reshuffle the government and dismiss his prime minister.
The left beat the ruling conservatives in almost all of France's 26 regions yesterday, raising doubts about the government's commitment to push through ambitious economic reforms such as cost-cutting in the public health system.
The Socialist Party and its allies, buoyed by discontent with the government's policies, won about 50 per cent of the votes and at least 21 of the regions, exit polls showed. The center-right won around 37 per cent and the far-right about 14 per cent of the votes in the second round run-offs.
"The French people have first of all sent a heavy vote of sanction to the entire government of Jean-Pierre Raffarin," said Socialist Party leader Mr Francois Hollande. "From now on, the response cannot be found in a government reshuffle, whatever its scope, but in a major change in the direction of the government."
The left had been expected to win after making gains in the first round of voting on March 21st, but the extent of its victory was a shock, painting France's regional political map almost entirely red.
Mr Chirac did not comment on the results. But Mr Raffarin went on national television to say the government would not abandon reforms intended to cut the soaring public finance deficit in the eurozone's second largest economy.
Mr Chirac is not obliged to act on the result of the election, but a cabinet reshuffle has been widely expected since the first-round setbacks. Mr Chirac's center-right UMP party had controlled 14 regions since the last regional vote in 1998 and the left had held 11.