VOA News

A new opinion poll suggests that French President Jacques Chirac will win a landslide victory over far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen in the upcoming presidential election.

 The poll, published Saturday predicts that President Chirac will win about 81 percent of the final round vote on May 5. It is the first opinion poll released since Mr. Le Pen's unexpected triumph during last week's first round of voting.
 
 

Anti-Le Pen protesters march through streets of Paris

 During protests in Paris, members of 60 different left-wing groups urged the demonstrators to put their differences aside and cast their votes for Mr. Chirac. Some protesters handed out leaflets suggesting ways of voting for Mr. Chirac while still registering disapproval for the conservative president, such as wearing a white armband to the polls.
 
 

Officials in France say the protests, which have been staged every day since last week's controversial vote, have been mostly peaceful. But, Mr. Le Pen warned about 100 National Front members Saturday to be "extremely vigilant" during marches marking the May 1 worker's holiday on Wednesday.

 Mr. Le Pen contends that France is being overtaken in some areas by large immigrant populations and called for the creation of transit camps to house illegal immigrants while they are awaiting deportation. He has also said, if elected, he will try to cut France's ties to the European Union and restore border controls. 

Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.

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