French voters dealt a blow to the government of François Hollandeon Sunday, rejecting left-leaning candidates for local office in at least 155 cities while embracing more conservative politicians, including, in a handful of races, the extreme-right National Front party.
One bright spot for Mr. Hollande was in Paris, where Anne Hidalgo, the Socialist Party candidate, was elected mayor, becoming the first woman to serve in that job and one of a still small cadre of female mayors of large cities.