Macron is expected to get 26 percent of the votes in the first round, just one percent ahead of Le Pen, the results of a Harris Interactive poll revealed on Thursday.
"The increase in voting intentions in favor of the former Minister of the Economy (+6 points in two weeks) allows him to exceed the level of Marine Le Pen (25%)," the results said.
The Republicans presidential nominee Francois Fillon is expected to get 20 percent of the votes, followed by socialist Benoit Hamon with 13 percent.
The poll projects that in the second round, Marine Le Pen will be defeated either by Macron (65 percent against Le Pen’s 35 percent), or Fillon (59 against 41 percent).
Previous opinion polls have suggested that Le Pen would most likely win the first round of the French presidential election, scheduled for April 23, but would lose either to Fillon or Macron in the May run-off.
