In Britain, a Tight French Election

French bankers in London, who may dine at the Michelin two-star Connaught restaurant in Mayfair and swim at the nearby Royal Automobile Club on Pall Mall, could soon have a Socialist representing them at the National Assembly in Paris.

France is letting its expatriate citizens take part for the first time in the country’s parliamentary elections after creating 11 constituencies abroad. Socialist party candidate Axelle Lemaire’s chance of victory in the district that includes the U.K. was boosted after François Hollande, who called finance his “greatest adversary,” beat Nicolas Sarkozy in the May 6 election, taking 50.8 percent of the French-in-Britain vote. On June 3, in the first round of voting for the legislature, Lemaire got the most votes. On June 17 she will square off against Emmanuelle Savarit of the center-right UMP party, which lost the presidency to Hollande.