3 out of 4 UMP voters prefer Sarkozy for President of France

November 23, 2006 On Tuesday, BVA published a telephone poll conducted for French magazine  and news channel to gauge support for right-wing presidential candidates. 73% of Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (Union for a Popular Movement or UMP) party supporters identified Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy as their preferred candidate for May's election.

The UMP is one of the two major parties in France, and represents conservative politics. It was formed in 2002 as a union of several right-wing parties, and currently controls the legislature (the National Assembly) and the executive. Current president Jacques Chirac is aligned with the UMP.

Sarkozy's rivals trail far behind him, with Defense Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie at 5%, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin at 4% and President Jacques Chirac with 1%. Sarkozy's support among the entire group polled is significantly lower, at only 34%. Alliot-Marie has 4%, de Villepin and Chirac have 3% each, and the remaining 43% did not express a preference.

On Monday, de Villepin told Le Figaro that the right was united "around the one with the best chance of winning."