Paris: A new poll indicates conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy is gaining ground against front-running Socialist Party nominee Francois Hollande in their expected faceoff in France`s presidential election this spring.
Published in Sunday newspaper Journal du Dimanche, the poll shows Sarkozy would still lose, but by 46 per cent to Hollande`s 54 per cent, compared with 57-43 per cent in the weekly`s previous poll in November. Sarkozy hasn`t yet announced whether he will run, but most political observers believe he will. Most recent polls show that he would qualify for the May 6 finale of the election after the April 22 first-round vote.
The IFOP agency conducted the poll from January 4-6, questioning 1,163 pre-selected participants who were considered to be representative of a cross-section of French voters. No margin of error was given. Bureau Report