Conservative party lags in French elections

PARIS -- Partial results in France's municipal elections Sunday showed President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative party headed toward defeat and losing control of key cities, a new setback for a leader beset by sinking support.

Sarkozy's prime minister insisted, however, that the government would forge ahead with a sweeping reform program despite demands for a change from opposition Socialists.

"You can't change a great country like ours in a few months," Francois Fillon said. "Tenacity is needed to reform."

He and his ministers sought to downplay the projected poor showing by candidates from Sarkozy's conservative UMP party in a string of large cities -- saying not too much should be read into what were local elections for mayors and city councilors.

With 89 percent of the vote counted, official results showed parties of the left leading just slightly, with 48.7 percent of the overall vote to 47.6 percent for the right.

The municipal elections have less to do with party affiliation than other elections, and most voters say they cast their ballots based on local issues such as parks, public transport and garbage collection.

Yet the race was a gauge of how the French rate Sarkozy's performance. The results were a reminder of how the 53-year-old president has shrunk in the estimation of many voters since his election in May.