France's Socialists win outright majority in parliamentary election

Paris, June 18 (Xinhua-ANI): French Socialist Party won an absolute majority of the lower house of parliament in the second round of legislative election on Sunday.

According to Ipsos logica business pollster's partial vote count, the Socialist bloc won 291 seats, more than 289 seats needed for a majority in the 577-member National Assembly, sparing the need to rely on eurosceptic hard leftists and even Greens allies to pass legislations on tax rise, spending adjustment and modification of the European fiscal treaty.

With Communist and ecologists partners, the Socialist Party garnered a total of 341 seats in the lower house.

The CSA estimation gave the Socialist bloc 322 seats. On the right part, the conservative UMP party garnered 218 seats. The far-right National Front (FN) made their real first entry into the parliament in over two decades after seizing two seats.

But leader of the far-right Marine Le Pen lost the runoff by a very slight margin. However, the FN would not pose any threat to Hollande's governance.

"The French have amplified their demand for change that is already appeared last week. I thank the French for this trust. It obliges us and honors us too. Now it is our duty to succeed in the recovery with justice," Martine Aubry, head of the Socialist Party, told government-run TV channel France 2.

After Sunday's vote, a clear majority will strengthen the position of President Francois Hollande and gave the Socialist president a free hand to implement a bold reform program, which includes sweeping changes to labor laws, education system and financial measures to boost the economy.

The 57-year-old head of state urged "a broad, solid, consistent" majority after two rounds of elections on June 10 and 17 to give impetus to the eurozone's second largest economy.

However, some clouds could overshadow Socialists' promising economic and social reforms.

Analysts envisaged that Hollande's fresh acceptance of Berlin's call for deeper fiscal and political integration in Europe could prompt rising hostility of eurosceptic Socialist lawmakers to integration in the European bloc.

In addition, the new socialist government could face a block from the left-wing in spending increase, if a public finance audit, to be issued by the end of June, points to the necessity to slow spending in order to meet deficit target. (Xinhua-ANI)