French presidential race tightening
Results of two opinion surveys showed France’s three principle candidates closing in further a week ahead of the first round of the elections.
The two polls by CSA and IFOP were published in LeParisien and Le Journal du Dimanche on Sunday.
The CSA poll showed that the center-right candidate of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) Party and the former Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy still led the with 26 % of votes, down one percent since the previous poll taken on April 10 and 11.
The Socialist candidate Segolene Royal who bids to become France’s first female president lost two points but remained in the second position with 23% of the votes.
The surprise centrist candidate of Union for French Democracy (UDF) Party François Bayrou gained two points and maintained his third position with 21%. The Far-Right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen kept stable with 15%.
The survey showed that none of the other nine candidates gained over the 5 % mark in the first round of the elections. It also predicted that in the second round of the elections the division would be even less with Sarkozy gathering 51% of votes, down one percent since the last survey, against 49% for his rival Royal who benefited from his one percent loss.
The survey by IFOP showed almost similar results for the candidates’ popularity. However it indicated that 7 % of people quizzed said they abstained from voting in both rounds and another 37% said they were still undecided or could change their opinion about their choice.