LOC15:13
12:13 GMT
PARIS, June 12 (KUNA) -- A poll published here Sunday indicated that
incumbent candidate President Nicolas Sarkozy would likely lose in the first
round of presidential elections to be held in early 2012.
Sarkozy would only win 22 percent of votes in the first round ballot next
May and would be ousted by leading Socialist contender Francois Hollande, who
was credited with 26 percent of votes in the poll published in
conservative-leaning weekly "Journal de Dimanche."
The French president would be still knocked out despite the elimination
from the election race of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former International
Monetary Fund (IMF) chief who was widely tipped to win the 2012 election.
Strauss-Kahn is currently under virtual house-arrest in New York on sexual
assault and attempted rape charges at a hotel in the city. He denies the
charges.
More striking, however, is the indication in the poll that Sarkozy could
even lose to the extreme-right National Front candidate, Marine Le Pen, if the
Socialist candidate is not Hollande and turns out to be Socialist party leader
Martine Aubry.
Le Pen would edge out the French leader 22 percent to 21.5 percent in a
three-way race with Aubry.
But the President would scrape into the second round if the three-way race
turned out to be between himself, Hollande and Le Pen. (end)
jk.hb
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