MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Macron, an independent, is anticipated to win 26 percent of votes in the first round, leaving the National Front leader behind with 25 percent, a poll by Harris Interactive found.
In the second round of voting, Macron’s lead over Le Pen is projected to grow, with 65 percent of voters saying they intend to back him, compared to Le Pen’s support of 35 percent.
Support for Francois Fillon of the conservative The Republicans party has slipped by 3 points since late February, the poll showed, with 18 percent saying they will vote for him in the first round. Fillon is projected to beat Le Pen in the runoff by 58 percent to 42 percent.
The pollster surveyed voting intentions of 6,955 French nationals on behalf of France Televisions between March 21 and 22. The poll was held on the heels of the first televised debate between France’s five main presidential contenders.
