On-the-spot France
First round of France’s departmental elections: the battle for control of Paris’s suburbs
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Play - 04:00
The first round of France’s departmental elections ended with the emergence of a three-party system: the conservative UMP on top, followed by the far right Front National and the ruling Socialists in third position. The battle for control of Paris’s inner suburbs like Bobigny, Noisy-le-Sec and Bondy, will be a close match between the Socialists and the UMP in the upcoming second round. Polls suggest that Bobigny, a traditional stronghold of the left could swing right.
