PARIS, March 15 (Xinhua) -- The results of Sunday's regional elections should not be interpreted as disapproval of President Nicolas Sarkozy's performance, a survey has indicated.
About 63 percent of respondents said they voted only for regional reasons and 51 percent denied they were voting to express disappointment at the central government, according to a survey published by the French newspaper Le Parisien.
The newspaper interviewed over 2,000 people on Sunday.
After Sunday's first round elections, the opposition Socialist Party took the leading position with 29.48 percent, while Sarkozy's ruling UMP followed with 26.18 percent.
A second round is expected on March 21.
