Sunday's elections marked a clear victory for the conservative party, Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), which won 39.5% of votes, ahead of the Socialists, who managed to gain 24.7% of ballots, the official results of 11 June 2007 show.
According to first projections by TNS Sofres, this could win the UMP 385-425 seats out of 577 in the French National Assembly, allowing President Nicolas Sarkozy to push through the announced wide-ranging reforms, such as tax cuts and labour reforms. The Socialists are expected to take between 100-140 seats in parliament.
"We want to set off a shockwave of confidence, a shockwave of growth," Prime Minister Francois Fillon commented on the results. While his seat and that of most of his fellow members of the government are safe, Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie and Ecology Minister Alain Juppe still need to secure their seats during the second round of ballots.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Movement of centrist Francois Bayrou won 7.5%, ahead of Le Pen's extreme-right Front National, with 4.2% of votes.
However, turnout has hit a record low, with only 60% of voters heading for the ballots. Most voters expected "no surprises" following Sarkozy's landmark victory in presidential elections five weeks earlier.
The second round of parliamentary elections, determining the final seats allocation, will take place on 17 June 2007.
