Sarkozy falls further behind Socialist challenger Hollande ahead of French presidential elections

Paris, Apr 19 (ANI): French President Nicolas Sarkozy has lost ground to his Socialist Party opponent, Fran?ois Hollande, just days before the first round of voting in the presidential election, a latest poll has revealed.

The CSA poll shows that 24 percent of potential voters would prefer Sarkozy in Sunday's first round if elections were held now, while 29 percent would choose Hollande, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The survey also shows Hollande would win over Sarkozy 58 to 42 percent in a likely second-round runoff, which is scheduled for May 6.

The poll results seem to claim that most French voters weren't in support of Sarkozy's efforts to end the Euro-Zone crisis on the economy, and felt much convinced that Hollande could end up being a better choice as a president.

Mr. Sarkozy's position on the European Central Bank now claims that he would push for the bank to have more growth-stimulating muscle if elected, which clearly represented a shift for the incumbent, who advocated for a more activist central bank early in his presidency and also matched the ideologies of his socialist rival, Hollande.

The poll predicts that whoever wins the French election will try to reshape the debate within the Euro Zone. (ANI)