France's center-right party strengthened following regional elections Xinhua 28 Jun 2021, 08:30 GMT+10 PARIS, June 27 (Xinhua) -- The center-right "The Republicans" party (LR) has become the leading political force in France by winning largely in the runoff of regional elections on Sunday, while President Emmanuel Macron's "The Republic on the Move" (LREM) party and the far-right "National Rally" (NR) party failed to harvest any region. Results of over 70 percent of votes showed that among heavyweight candidates of the LR, Xavier Bertrand confirmed his first-round victory in Hauts-de-France in the north, Valerie Pecresse won hands down in Ile-de-France, the greater Paris region, and Laurent Wauquiez topped in Auvergne-Rhones-Alpes, the region around Lyon.