France’s Macron seen beating Le Pen, Hamon losing momentum: poll

PARIS (Reuters) – French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and independent centrist Emmanuel Macron are set to make it through to the presidential election’s second round in May, according to an opinion poll published on Monday, with Macron comfortably winning the runoff.

The IFOP rolling poll of voting intentions showed Le Pen garnering 25.5 percent of the vote in the April 23 first round, up 1.5 percent since Feb. 1, while Macron would get 20.5 percent, up 0.5 percent over the same period.

Conservative candidate Francois Fillon placed at 18.5 percent, down from 21 percent.

Socialist candidate Benoit Hamon has lost momentum since his nomination in a primary vote, and was now seen gathering 15.5 percent of the votes, down from 18 percent on Feb. 1.

(Reporting by Michel Rose; Editing by Laurence Frost)