Les Republicains (LR) right-wing party’s head of the Ile-de-France region and candidate for the 2022 presidential election Valerie Pecresse leaves after winning LR’s primary in Paris, on December 4, 2021. — AFP pic
PARIS, Dec 18 — A new poll showed French conservative Valerie Pecresse as the likely challenger to President Emmanuel Macron in the second round of presidential elections in April 2022.
The Ipsos/Sopra Steria poll showed Pecresse — who early this month won her Les Republicains party’s primary to be its candidate – winning 17 per cent of first-round voting intentions, behind Macron’s 25.5 per cent, but up 10 points from a poll in October.
The two candidates winning the most votes in the first round on April 10 will go through to the April 24 run-off vote.
Far-right TV chat show personality Eric Zemmour, who had come second to Macron in several first-round voting intention polls this autumn, saw his share of first-round intentions slide to 14.5 per cent from 16 per cent in October.
That put him on par with far-right Rassemblement National party leader Marine Le Pen, who also slid to 14.5 per cent from 16 per cent.
Green party leader Yannick Jadot and far-left Jean-Luc Melenchon came well behind, each with 8.5 per cent of voting intentions.
The poll of more than 10,000 people was conducted via the Internet from December 7 to 13. — Reuters