Sarkozy takes 1st-round poll lead

The first opinion poll since a gunman shot dead four people at a Jewish school on Monday showed President Nicolas Sarkozy would narrowly beat his Socialist challenger in the first round of a presidential election next month.

The first opinion poll since a gunman shot dead four people at a Jewish school on Monday showed President Nicolas Sarkozy would narrowly beat his Socialist challenger in the first round of a presidential election next month.

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A CSA poll conducted on Monday and Tuesday showed Sarkozy would win 30% in the first round and his opponent Francois Hollande 28%.

The two rivals had been neck-and-neck a week ago. Despite this, the poll showed that Hollande was ahead by eight percentage points in a second-round run-off.