Polls & Research
Archive Search
Royal Trails Sarkozy, Leads De Villepin in France
(Angus Reid Global Scan) - A poll by Ipsos published in Le Point suggests prospective Socialist Party (PS) candidate Ségolène Royal would face either of two current cabinet members in the second round of next year's presidential election.
In the first sample, interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy of the centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) is first with 35 per cent, followed by Royal—the leader of the regional government of Poitou-Charentes—with 27 per cent. Jean-Marie Le Pen of the National Front (FN) is third with nine per cent, followed by Union for French Democracy (UDF) leader François Bayrou with seven per cent.
In a second sample, Royal is in first place with 30 per cent, followed by current prime minister Dominique de Villepin with 27 per cent, Le Pen with 12 per cent, and Bayrou with eight per cent.
In two prospective run-off scenarios, Sarkozy leads Royal by two points, and the PS member holds a four-point edge over de Villepin.
Last month, current first lady Bernardette Chirac appeared to welcome a Royal candidacy, saying, "Her socialist colleagues won't give her an easy ride, but women's time has come. In the future, there will be more and more women giving orders to men. It may be tough on them, but that's the way it is."
The UMP's Jacques Chirac won the presidential ballot in 1995, and was re-elected in a run-off over Le Pen in May 2002. The next election is tentatively scheduled for April 2007.
Polling Data
Who would you vote for in the presidential election?
Option 1
Nicolas Sarkozy | 35% |
Ségolène Royal | 27% |
Jean-Marie Le Pen | 9% |
François Bayrou | 7% |
Philippe de Villiers | 6% |
Olivier Besancenot | 6% |
Arlette Laguiller | 4% |
Marie-George Buffet | 3% |
Dominique Voynet | 3% |
Option 2
Ségolène Royal | 30% |
Dominique de Villepin | 27% |
Jean-Marie Le Pen | 12% |
François Bayrou | 8% |
Philippe de Villiers | 7% |
Olivier Besancenot | 6% |
Arlette Laguiller | 4% |
Marie-George Buffet | 3% |
Dominique Voynet | 3% |
Run-Off Scenarios
Ségolène Royal 52% - 48% Dominique de Villepin
Ségolène Royal 49% - 51% Nicolas Sarkozy
Source: Ipsos / Le Point
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 930 French adults, conducted on Feb. 10 and Feb. 11, 2006. No margin of error was provided.