Juppe refuses to comment on calls for his resignation

Major Upset in French General Election

The left have won the first round

Left wing parties have won a clear victory, taking just over forty percent of the vote, three and a half percent more than the ruling centre right coalition.

France has a complex election procedure and the turnout in the first round at about thirty percent, was slightly lower than in the last election four years ago. A hectic week of campaigning is now ahead, before the decisive second round of voting next Sunday.

The main contenders are:

• The ruling coalition which includes the Rally for the Republic (RPR), founded by French President, Jacques Chirac and the centre-right Union for French Democracy (UDF), altogether they polled thirty percent
• The Socialist-led opposition coalition which includes Communists and Greens polled just over forty precent
• The right wing National Front polled fifteen percent

Newspapers report Chirac's problems

The Left

Socialist Party leader Lionel Jospin has called on all left-of-centre voters to back a "pact for change" in the second round of voting which takes place next Sunday.

He said the first round results "appear to indicate that the French can see a future with the left". But Mr Jospin called on supporters to "rally and wage a positive second-round campaign based on proposals."

Jean-Marie Le Pen

The Right

Casting votes

The people were voting for more than six thousand three hundred candidates, representing 68 parties.

The early election seems to have backfired on the President. Mr Chirac called the election 10 months ahead of schedule saying he needed a fresh mandate to push through reforms enabling France to meet the criteria for European monetary union, which is due to start in January 1999.