Right celebrates as voting closes

UMP LEADER HAILS ‘BLUE WAVE’ AS VOTING CLOSES, WHILE FRONT NATIONAL WINS IN BEZIERS AND EXPECTS FURTHER GAINS FRONT National candidate Robert Ménard has won the election in Beziers - and the

party is expected to make further gains as results in the second round of France's local elections come in. As polling stations close across the country, Marine Le Pen’s far right

party were forecast to gain between five and 10 towns, after Steeve Briois last week won the mayoral race outright in the northwest town of Hénin-Beaumont in the Pas-de-Calais department.

Voters Fréjus are also expected to elect an FN mayor, although early indications suggest that the Socialists have won the FN target town of Avignon. But the big winner of the night looks set

to be the centre-right UMP. The party’s leader Jean-Francois Copé hailed the “blue wave - the first major victory for the right in local elections”, with the party enjoying impressive gains

in early results. Meanwhile, Socialist candidate Anne Hidalgo remains favourite to win the race for mayor of Paris over UMP rival Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet. It has been an election to

forget for the left. Pundits predict the President Francois Hollande will reshuffle his government early next week - maybe even tomorrow - following a disastrous showing.