Sarkozy gains on Socialist rival but challenges remain

French President Nicolas Sarkozy was gaining on his Socialist rival after officially announcing his re-election bid last week but the incumbent still faces a tough challenge, a poll indicated Monday. The OpinionWay poll for newspaper Le Figaro showed Sarkozy with 27 percent of intended votes in the first round, up 1.5 points from the previous poll and within striking distance of Socialist candidate Francois Hollande with 29 percent. Hollande’s support was stable for the first round, but he remained the clear favorite to win a second-round run-off, with 56 percent to Sarkozy’s 44 percent. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen of the National Front saw her support fall by 1.5 points to 16.5 percent of intended votes while centrist Francois Bayrou’s support was stable at 13 percent. “The gap is narrowing between the two main candidates in the presidential election, who are widening the gap with the other candidates,” Le Figaro wrote. Sarkozy announced his candidacy Wednesday for the two-round vote, to be held on April 22 and May 6. He has since held a series of campaign events including a rally in Marseille Sunday in which he called for the French people to stand with him to defend the traditional values of a strong France.