Poll tips French conservative Pecresse to face Macron in 2022 presidential run-off

[December 18, 2021]    PARIS (Reuters) - A new poll showed French conservative Valerie Pecresse as the likely challenger to President Emmanuel Macron in the second round of presidential elections in April 2022.

Valerie Pecresse, head of the Paris Ile-de-France region and Les Republicains (LR) right-wing party candidate for the 2022 French presidential election, attends a meeting following a closed-door session with party officials, in Paris, France, December 11, 2021. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

The Ipsos/Sopra Steria poll showed Pecresse - who early this month won her Les Republicains party's primary to be its candidate - winning 17% of first-round voting intentions, behind Macron's 25.5%, but up 10 points from a poll in October.

The two candidates winning the most votes in the first round on April 10 will go through to the April 24 run-off vote .

Far-right TV chat show personality Eric Zemmour, who had come second to Macron in several first-round voting intention polls this autumn, saw his share of first-round intentions slide to 14.5% from 16% in October.

That put him on par with far-right Rassemblement National party leader Marine Le Pen, who also slid to 14.5% from 16%.

Green party leader Yannick Jadot and far-left Jean-Luc Melenchon came well behind, each with 8.5% of voting intentions.

The poll of more than 10,000 people was conducted via the Internet from Dec. 7 to 13.

(Reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Mark Potter)

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