PARIS Centrist Emmanuel Macron would be slightly ahead of far-right 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 percent of the vote in the April 23 first round. This was down 0.5 percent 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 percent, which would eliminate him from the run-off.
Macron would win a second round against Le Pen with 64 percent of the vote against 36 percent for the National Front leader, the poll showed.
(Reporting by Gus Trompiz; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
