Hollande wins parliament vote
Francois Hollande’s Socialist Party has won an absolute majority in the French Parliamentary elections, according to an exit poll.
After voting ended today, the AFP news agency found Mr Hollande’s party and its allies would win 312 of the 577 seats on offer.
The result will give Mr Hollande a strong mandate to pursue his anti-austerity policies at the forthcoming G20 meeting of world leaders in Mexico this week.
Also in today's vote, the leader of the right-wing National Front party Marine Le Pen has been defeated in her bid to get a seat in the National Assembly. However Ms Le Pen has demanded a recount after she lost by just 118 votes.