PARIS
French centre and far right parties gained significant ground across the country in Sunday's local elections while France's ruling Socialist Party suffered big losses, making a cabinet reshuffle likely.
The center-right UMP was leading the electoral race on Sunday by 49 percent of the votes, according to the exit polls, while the Socialists come in second with 43 percent and the far-right anti-immigration National Front (FN) claimed 9 percent -- the biggest showing in its history.
Newspaper front pages across the country were unanimous Monday in covering the right wing victory in the face of the Socialist Party's loss.
"The blue tsunami engulfs Hollande," said the front page of right-leaning Le Figaro, referring to the color that represents UMP. The daily also urged President François Hollande to reshuffle the cabinet after the failure in the elections.
Liberation carried the headline "Punishment," over a photograph of a nervous looking Hollande. It said UMP gained a nation-wide victory despite Socialists' retaining control of Paris and Strasbourg.
The daily said Hollande should urgently decide whether Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault will remain in office or not.
Le Monde also searched for an answer as to Ayrault's future in the cabinet, adding that Interior Minister Manuel Valls is a candidate for Ayrault's office.
The local elections -- the first since Hollande came to office in 2012 -- was marked by a historic level of abstention, with 38 percent of registered electorates not voting, according to the French Interior Ministry.
Official results have yet to be released.
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