United States: the ultraconservative Rick Santorum won the Louisiana primary

The ultraconservative Rick Santorum won the Republican primary Saturday in Louisiana (south), giving a boost to its campaign against Mitt Romney, who remains favorite to face Barack Obama in November.



According to projections released by the U.S. television after the close of polls, the former senator from Pennsyvlanie (is), great defender of Christian values ​​and family, won 50% of the vote against 26% in the multimillionaire Romney.



He garnered a 11th and State in the race for the Republican nomination for the White House, but still has to his credit two times less wins than his rival Mitt Romney moderate.



In an email to his supporters after the announcement of his victory, Mr. Santorum called "history" the Louisiana ballot.



"Romney has made an intensive campaign by spending lots of money, but Louisiana does not let themselves be impressed by the lies and negative campaigning: they voted for a genuine conservative," said Mr. Santorum, resuming the charge of the right wing of the Republican party to which Mr. Romney is too moderate.



MM. Santorum and Romney have significantly outperformed the other two candidates, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who had to settle for 16% of the vote according to exit polls, and the isolationist Ron Paul who harvest only 6%.



The victory for Mr. Santorum, widely anticipated by the polls, is not a surprise in that State of Conservative "Old South". And Mr. Romney remains the favorite for the nomination of his party during the Republican convention scheduled for late August in Tampa (Florida).



Mr. Santorum, staunch opponent of gay marriage, abortion and contraception, is indeed regarded as too far right to hope to convince centrist voters.



In a polling station in New Orleans, the largest city in Louisiana, Betty Harper, 76, and said choosing Romney by realism. "We liked Santorum," she has said. "But recently it has become too radical," she added.



In the race to determine which candidate will face Republican President Barack Obama in the November 6 election, Romney retains a comfortable lead over its competitors with over 560 delegates acquired during the various state by state primaries since early year, more than twice as much as Mr. Santorum.



The winner is the one who will win 1144 delegates. In Louisiana, 46 delegates were at stake



The Republican primary drags on, no candidate reaching build consensus within a deeply divided party, to the delight of Democrats Barack Obama.



But Mr. Santorum said Thursday that if the choice of the Republicans was to focus on Mr. Romney, "we might as well keep what we have", namely Barack Obama. He had to backtrack because Mr. Romney was immediately seized upon the argument by saying he was "disappointed" that Rick Santorum "would rather have Barack Obama as president than a Republican."



The next elections, which should be more favorable to Mr. Romney, are scheduled on April 3, Wisconsin (north), Maryland (east) and Washington.



Then on 24, it will be Pennsylvania, where Mr. Santorum, who was a senator, has a chance of winning.But the same day, the States of New York, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island also vote, and Mr. Romney seems best placed to grab a majority of delegates.