IN BRIEF / FRANCE
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, candidate for French President for the Left Front will obtain 8% of the vote, up from 7% in December, according to a new poll by le Parisien newspaper.
Together with a rise of one point to 4% for the Green candidate Eva Joly, and a 1% score for Lutte Ouvrière’s Nathalie Arthaud, the increase in the vote for the candidate for the left socialist/communist alliance may explain the fall in support for François Hollande of the Socialists. He’s now at 28%, a fall of 7 points.
Incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy is at 24%, a drop of half a point, while UMP rival Dominique de Villepin is now at 4%, up three points.
Far-right Marine Le Pen remains at 17%.
Socialist Hollande is still expected to defeat Sarkozy in the second round.
Le Parisien