Poll shows Macron would beat Le Pen in run-off

PARIS: Centrist Emmanuel Macron would be slightly ahead of farright leader Marine Le Pen in the first round of France’s presidential election and then go on to beat her comfortably in the second-round run-off, an Odoxa poll showed on Sunday.

The former economy minister would win 26.5 per cent of the vote in the April 23 first round. This was down 0.5 per cent from a previous Odoxa poll of voting intentions but still ahead of Le Pen on 26 percent.

Conservative Francois Fillon was unchanged from the previous Odoxa survey two weeks ago at 19 pe rcent, which would eliminate him from the run-off.

Macron would win a second round against Le Pen with 64 per cent of the vote against 36 per cent for the National Front leader, the poll showed.

— Reuters Emmanuel Macron, candidate for the 2017 presidential election, attends a meeting in Reims.