President of the center-right party UDI Jean-Christophe Lagarde (R) shakes hands with UMP right-wing party president Nicolas Sarkozy (C) before a meeting at the UDI headquarters in Paris on March 23, 2015. The French right was celebrating today after local elections saw a conservative alliance and the far-right National Front triumph over the ruling Socialists in a key test ahead of the 2017 presidential poll. An alliance led by Sarkozy took first place in Sunday's first-round polling with 29.4 percent of the vote, while the National Front (FN) of Marine Le Pen came second with 25.2 percent, according to latest figures from the interior ministry. AFP PHOTO / MARTIN BUREAUMARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images
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