France is set to vote in the first round of regional elections, widely seen as a test of public support for the government’s response to the attacks on November 13.
About 44 million people are eligible to vote in the first poll since the Paris attacks, which killed 130 people.
The far-right National Front (FN) is hoping to make gains, while the centre-right Les Republicains party, led by former President Nicolas Sarkozy, is expected to win a majority of regions.
The FN leader, Marine Le Pen, is likely to win in the northern region, while her niece, Marion Marechal-Le Pen, is a leading contender in the southern region of Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur.
Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, on Thursday made an “appeal to patriotism” in an effort to rally the socialist votes.
The second round is on December 13.
