PARIS, March 21 (UPI) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party was expected to suffer heavy losses in the second round of regional elections Sunday, observers said.
The regional elections are widely viewed as a last measure of public opinion before Sarkozy seeks re-election in 2012, Radio France Internationale reported.
By midday Sunday, nearly 19 percent of France's 44 million registered voters had cast ballots, the BBC reported. The polls close between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. and partial results are expected to indicate the outcome quickly.
Sarkozy's right-wing Union for a Popular Movement party suffered its worst losses in decades in the first round a week ago, capturing just over 25 percent of the vote. The opposition Socialists and other leftist parties garnered 50.
Many Sarkozy critics say he never delivered on campaign promises to improve the lot of ordinary French people while making the country more competitively economically. The country's unemployment rate has climbed to its highest level in decades.
Sarkozy's party still holds a significant majority in national parliament and he says the regional election isn't a referendum on national government, RFI reported.
Voters will elect leaders of councils in 25 regions, 22 on the mainland and three in overseas territories.
