Credit:UN/DPI Photo by Mark Garten

Dominique de Villepin

(Angus Reid Global Scan) - Adults in France are considering their options in case the current prime minister is forced to step down, according to a poll by BVA published in L'Express. 28 per cent of respondents would like former finance minister Nicolas Sarkozy to take over from Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

Interior minister Dominique de Villepin is second with 13 per cent, followed by employment minister Jean-Louis Borloo, defence minister Michèle Alliot-Marie, national education minister François Fillon and finance minister Thierry Breton. 31 per cent of respondents are undecided.

The governing centre-right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) has been affected by the upcoming referendum on the European Constitution. At least 15 recent public opinion polls have suggested that a majority of decided voters will reject the proposed body of law in the plebiscite scheduled for May 29.

Last November, Sarkozy was confirmed as the UMP's new leader. Five months earlier, French president Jacques Chirac declared he would not allow Sarkozy to keep his post as finance minister and head the UMP, saying this would undermine Raffarin.

On Apr. 17, de Villepin suggested in a radio interview that the country might need a new head of government and suggested himself for the post, saying, "All one's life one prepares oneself to takes on certain missions that are sometimes difficult, sometimes unpredictable." Raffarin later said the interior minister had "gone off track," adding, "I am responsible for maintaining unity, and so I brought (de Villepin) into line."

Polling Data

If Jean-Pierre Raffarin steps down as prime minister after the European Constitution referendum, who would you prefer as his successor?

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