By IRNA
Paris : French people are set to vote in local elections, in which left-wing opponents of President Nicolas Sarkozy hope to benefit from his low popularity.
The Socialists and their allies are expected to hold on to municipal power in Paris and the second city, Lyon.
The left is also seeking to capture major cities, including Marseille in the south and Strasbourg in the east.
Sarkozy, who was elected last May, has seen his popularity drop in recent months.
The local elections will be held in two rounds – the first on March 9 and the second a week later.
In an interview with Le Figaro newspaper on Thursday, Sarkozy played down the expected losses of his UMP party.
“The crucial date for me is the end of my term” in 2012, he said.
The president’s popularity rate reached 67 percent in last July.
But recent opinion polls suggest up to two-thirds of French voters now disapprove of his policies.