Regional elections offer vote of confidence for French conservatives
France24
29 Jun 2021, 04:08 GMT+10
France's centre-right has been struggling ever since French President Emmanuel Macron swept into office with a new centrist party that incorporated elements of both the right and the left. After performing well in Sunday's regional vote, however, French conservatives may have reason to smile again. Christian Jacob, leader of Les Republicains, says the right is now "the only force for change".
There was not a minute to lose for Xavier Bertrand, who was easily reelected as head of the Hauts-de-France region. As soon as the results of the second and final round of local and regional elections were announced the evening of June 27, the candidate for the 2022 presidential election was behind his desk for a victory speech that looked more like the launch of a campaign.