Sarkozy poised for landslide parliamentary win

PARIS, June 10 (Reuters) French conservatives looked set to sweep parliamentary elections today and hand President Nicolas Sarkozy the strong mandate he had sought for the wide-ranging reforms he says are needed to revive the economy.

Sarkozy's ruling Union for a Popular Majority (UMP) and its allies would take 360-470 seats in the 557-seat National Assembly, according to estimates released by pollsters after first round polls closed today.

The opposition Socialists, in disarray since the party's third straight loss in presidential elections in May, were expected to secure 120-170 seats, compared to 149 in 2002.

Run-off ballots are due on June 17 in seats where no candidate wins an outright majority today.

Sarkozy had told voters that without a strong parliamentary majority he could not implement his ''revolution'' of tax cuts, strike curbs and labour code changes designed to slash unemployment and lift growth.

''It's a referendum on Sarkozy's reform plans,'' Caroline Gaxie, 35, said after voting in the central city of Nevers.

Voter apathy accentuated the ''blue tide'' of support for the conservatives. Turnout slumped to 61 percent, well below the 84 percent who voted in May presidential elections won by Sarkozy, and a record low for parliamentary elections.

Today's vote also marked a watershed for the Communists, whose estimated 6-13 seats, half their previous number, would be their worst score in living memory and deprive them of the right to form a group in parliament.

Centrist Francois Bayrou, who has relaunched his centrists as the Democratic Movement (MoDems) after this strong third placing in last month's presidential vote, was set to pick up between 1 and 4 seats.

The centrists won 29 seats in 2002.

The Greens faced a hard fight to retain their three seats while the far-right National Front was not expected to win any seats.

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