How French are voting and in regional elections seen as test for Sarkozy
By APSunday, March 21, 2010
French regional elections seen as test for Sarkozy
WHO VOTES: Any of France’s 45 million registered voters.
WHEN: First round was March 14. Runoff is Sunday, with polls open at 8 a.m. (0700 GMT, 3 a.m. EDT) and last polls closed at 8 p.m. (1900 GMT, 3 p.m. EDT).
WHAT FOR: Voters are choosing 1,880 new regional councilors for the country’s 26 regions, 22 on the mainland and four overseas from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean.
HOW: Voters choose by party or coalition list. Half of candidates on each list must be women. The region’s president is the person at the top of the winning party list.
WHAT’S AT STAKE: Regional budgets are used for such things as roads and public transport, and for jobs programs, a key issue amid rising unemployment. The vote is seen in part as a referendum on conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy halfway through his term.
