Sarkozy's party trails after local elections
French voters delivered a blow to President Nicolas Sarkozy in local elections held on Sunday, Bloomberg reported .
Those backed by Union for a Popular Movement party and Sarkozy received 40 percent of the vote, while 47.5 percent voted for those representing the Socialists, the Green and Communist parties, according to by CSA, a Paris-based polling institute, Bloomberg reported.
Twenty-two of Sarkozy's ministers which make up two-thirds of the French government were up for election, the Associated Press reported .
Since taking over in May, Sarkozy has seen his popularity drop to around 37-40 percent from a high of around 65 percent in July, according to the AP.
``It's a strong signal,'' Frederic Dabi, director of the public-opinion department of Paris-based Ifop, told Bloomberg. ``It's not the third round of the presidential election, but there is a very strong push from the left.''