Two thirds voters forecast Hollande to beat Sarkozy

A majority of the French population expect socialist candidate Francois Hollande to beat incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy in May 6 presidential run-off, a poll showed on Thursday.

A Harris Interactive survey conducted for RTL, M6 and MSN News, showed 63 percent of French citizens think Hollande will win the race to the Elysee Palace. Only 35 percent thought Sarkozy would be reelected.

Asked about their personal preference, 50 percent of respondents chose Hollande against 45 percent for Sarkozy with 5 percent remaining undecided.

The Harris Interactive poll questioned 1,394 respondents earlier this week. In the first round of elections, Hollande had 28.63 percent of the vote and Sarkozy 27.18 percent.