Independent candidate Macron is close to take French presidency

PARIS, March 23 (KUNA) -- Independent candidate 39-year-old Emmanuel Macron was again tipped Thursday in a poll to take the French presidency in a run-off race on May 7 next.
The Harris Interactive Poll, published in French daily "Le Figaro" indicated that Macron would not only win the first round of voting on April 23, with 26 percent, but would then go on to defeat extreme-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen two weeks later in the run-off. Le Pen is credited in the newest poll with 25 percent in the first round but this is seen somewhat of a protest vote and she is predicted to lose to Macron 65 percent to 35 percent on May 7. Her ratings have already slipped by one point since the previous poll a week ago.
This latest survey of potential voters was significant and covered over 6,300 people and was completed on March 22.
Embattled conservative candidate Francois Fillon, who is running for the Republicans party and was a hot favourite until last January, would be eliminated with only 18 percent in first round voting.
Fillon is charged with a variety of financial wrongdoing and is under "formal investigation" by magistrates. The charges include fraud and misuse of public funds and giving fake jobs to family members, but they were expanded this week to include forgery and tampering with official documents.
Fillon vehemently denies all the charges and refuses to step down in the presidential race. Le Pen, a European Parliament Deputy, also faces investigation for allegedly misusing EP funds and is under suspicion for having potentially underreported her assets.
Meanwhile, a cloud has also formed over centre-leftist Macron's head for having allowed favouritism when he was Economy Minister, although no formal charges have personally been brought against him. There are also questions raised about his alleged underreporting of his wealth after he left his job as an investment banker.
The ruling Socialist party candidate Benoit Hamon is trailing badly in the ratings and is credited with only 12.5 percent the latest poll, which would mean certain elimination from the race and place him only fifth among contenders on April 23.
The unpopularity of the Socialist administration over the past five years under President Francois Hollande has badly hampered Hamon's bid to get elected.
Radical leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon who has refused an alliance with Hamon would edge ahead off the Socialist candidate with 13.5 percent in the first round, the poll indicated. (end) jk.lb