Paris: President Nicolas Sarkozy's right-wing camp suffered setbacks in several large cities in the first round of French local elections cast as a referendum on his presidency, exit polls showed today.

The opposition Socialists dethroned Sarkozy's UMP party in the northwestern city of Rouen and cemented their hold in the capital of northern France, Lille, winning both cities in the first round, according to exit polls from the IPSOS, TNS-Sofres and CSA institutes.

Nationwide, the Socialists took an estimated 47.5 per cent of votes, well ahead of the UMP and its allies on 40 per cent, according to a telephone poll released by CSA after the close of polls at 8:00 pm (0030 IST).

The left-wing party was expected to hold on to Paris and the country's third city Lyon in -- where results were expected later today -- and could also take the second city Marseille, Strasbourg and Toulouse from the right.

Such symbolic victories, the first electoral test since Sarkozy's election last year, were set to further damage his ailing reputation and undermine his ability to plough ahead with his wide-ranging reform programme.

Sarkozy trounced his Socialist rival Segolene Royal in May with promises to overhaul France's economy but since then the rightwinger has seen his standing sink among voters dismayed by his flamboyant private life.

Voters are also disappointed that despite Sarkozy's repeated promises to rein in the cost of living, a national obsession in France, inflation has hit a 15-year high at 2.8 per cent.

Final turnout was expected to reach between 68 and 70.5 percent, according to late afternoon estimates, slightly higher than in the 2001 local polls.
Source : PTI