Analysts: Sarkozy facing political change

PARIS, March 16 (UPI) -- French President Nicholas Sarkozy sustained a political setback Sunday when his party lost another round of municipal elections.

The left appeared victorious in taking more than 20 large cities from the center-right, including Strasbourg, Reims, Amiens and Caen, The Independent on Sunday reported. The Socialists also were expected to retain the mayorship of Paris and lay claim to Toulouse, the British newspaper reported.

Analysts had said if the Socialist party won municipal elections in key French cities, Sarkozy's party would not only lose much of its political clout but he may have to alter his governing style, EuroNews.net said.

The municipal elections came as Sarkozy's approval ratings are at new lows, according to recent polls. The Web site said the main factors for this decline appeared to be the high cost of living in France and ongoing reports of the president's social life.

The Socialist party, led by Francois Hollande, won 45.7 percent of the votes in the cities' first round of elections March 9 compared with the 44.4 percent earned by Sarkozy's Union for a Popular Movement.