France's right-wing presidential candidate Nicolas Sarkozy has a commanding lead over his Socialist rival Segolene Royal ahead of Sunday's second round vote, according to a new poll.
The Opinion-way survey for the www.LEJDD.FR website said Mr Sarkozy had the backing of 54 per cent of voters against 46 per cent for Royal.
Electoral posters of the two candidates - Sarkozy leads by 54 per cent at the polls. Image: Reuters.
The survey of 1,415 people was carried out yesterday and today after last night's television debate between the two.
Debates between the two candidates heading into the presidential run off ballot have become an institution in French politics, and many believe previous head-to-heads have determined the eventual winner.
But opinion polls show that up to 88 per cent of voters had made up their minds before the debate.
Royal was surprisingly pugnacious in taking on a generally restrained Mr Sarkozy but neither candidate delivered any of the kind of lethal oneliners or decisive gaffes likely to go down in political history.
At one point Ms Royal, who has consistently trailed in opinion polls, attacked Mr Sarkozy on the issue of disabled children in schools, prompting him to tell his opponenent "you go off the rails very easily" and she should "calm down".