France’s Far-Right Defeated in 2nd Round

France’s far-right National Front party failed to capture a single region in the second round of municipal elections on Sunday after sweeping the polls in the first round this month. With most of the votes counted, Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration party came in third place with about 28 percent, behind the ruling Socialists, who took 29 percent. Nicolas Sarkozy’s center-right Republicans finished in first with 41 percent. Voter turnout jumped to 59 percent on Sunday compared with 50 percent in the first round on Dec. 6. Le Pen acknowledged defeat and pledged to keep fighting.