France’s far-right National Front has failed to win the big breakthrough it was hoping for in Sunday’s (December 13) local election run-offs after making massive gains in the first round of voting. <br /><br /> The right-wing Republicans finished ahead of President Francois Hollande’s governing left-wing socialists. <br /><br /> The reactions were mixed on the streets of Paris on Monday (December 14).<br /><br /> “On the one hand we have avoided the tidal wave of the far right, on the other hand, because it is quite mixed – I think there are these regions which went to the right [Conservatives], and 5 for the left [Socialists] – I quite like that it is half-and-half in both senses,” said one woman.<br /><br /> “Listen, I am a bit disappointed in the mental spirit of the French people and their reaction to the events which happened to us in the last weeks… to run to the extremists, I don’t think that is a very intelligent reaction, or a constructive one,” said a man.<br /><br /> Many left-wing voters supported the conservatives in the
