President Nicolas Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party suffers losses in first round of French municipal elections but avoids the crushing defeat some had predicted

PARIS, FRANCE (MARCH 10, 2008) (REUTERS) - Results in the first round of the French municipal elections showed the Socialists had convincingly kept control of France's second city Lyon and looked sure to maintain a firm grip on the capital Paris after the March 16 runoff ballot.

The first round was branded "Warning" by Le Parisien daily, but with much still to play for in a host of cities, leftist leaders urged their supporters to turn out in force next weekend and transform initial gains into ballot triumphs.

Xavier Bertrand, the minister of labor, said on French radio station Europe1, the elections were difficult but the stakes rest with local problems at local level which differ from city to city.

The municipal vote is the first major electoral test for Sarkozy since he stormed to power 10 months ago, and comes at a time when his own approval ratings have slumped.

On the streets of Paris some sympathy for Sarkozy.

One man, Gilles, says Sarkozy should be left alone for a bit before he is judged.

Although he was elected on a pledge to reform the economy, many voters feel he has not protected them from the rising cost of living and feel he has focused too much on his private life, marrying pop star Carla Bruni after a whirlwind romance.

One woman Celeste, said people wanted to punish the President for his "ostentatious behaviour" but that should not be done.

At a national level, leftist parties won 47.94 percent of Sunday's vote and centre-right parties took 45.49 percent, with turnout relatively high at around 65 percent -- not the landslide predicted by some commentators before the first round.

The key battlegrounds on March 16 will be the southern cities Marseille and Toulouse and, in the east, Strasbourg. All are controlled by the right but could fall to the Socialists.