French presidential hopeful extends lead over Socialist rivals

French presidential hopeful Francois Hollande has extended his lead during the summer over Socialist rivals in the race to win the party’s nomination for the 2012 election campaign, according to a poll.

The six candidates competing for the Socialist ticket were all in La Rochelle in western France for the party congress at the weekend, looking to win supporters less than six weeks before the vote.

Mr Hollande, who has never held a ministerial post, became the leading Socialist candidate for the two-round election next April and May after former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested.

Mr Hollande has consistently led the polls against his closest rival, former party chief Martine Aubry, and 2007 candidate Segolene Royal, while according to a poll taken on 24 August, he would edge out incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy in the election run-off.

In an Ifop survey his support among left-wing voters rose to 41 per cent.