Sarkozy Tied With Hollande in First Round, Le Figaro Poll Shows

Nicolas Sarkozy has gained ground on his Socialist challenger Francois Hollande, with the two tied at 27.5 percent apiece for the first round of French presidential voting on April 22, according to a poll published today by Le Figaro.

The poll, conducted by OpinionWay-Fiducial for Le Figaro and cable news channel LCI, shows Hollande would beat Sarkozy by 55 percent to 45 percent in the second round on May 6, the newspaper said. According to the poll, National Front candidate Marine Le Pen would draw 16 percent of the first-round vote, and 46 percent of her supporters say they haven’t decided whom to vote for in the second round.