SГ©golГЁne Royal, the Socialist party contender in the French presidential elections, has emerged as the preferred candidate of Europeans outside France, according to an FT/Harris poll.

Sixteen per cent of respondents in Germany, Italy, Spain, and Britain considered that Royal would be the best president for France, with 7 % opting for Nicolas Sarkozy, the contender from the centre-right UMP party.

In France the poll results were just the opposite with 22 % of French respondents considering Royal to be the best president just behind Sarkozy, preferred by 23 %.

France's official election campaign for the presidential office got underway at the beginning of last week with twelve candidates to measure their strengths on April 22.

Latest opinion polls show that Royal might struggle to make it into the second round with support for Royal at 23 %, almost equal to that of François Bayrou, the centrist UDF candidate, at 21 %.

Support for far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen varies from 13 to 15%.

Other candidates for the first round include Olivier Besancenot from the communist revolutionary league, Jose Bove, the anti-globalisation farmer, Frederic Nihous from the hunting, fishing, nature and traditions party and Dominique Voynet from the Greens.

Analysts say none of the candidates is expected to get more than 50 percent in the first round, which makes highly likely a run-off on May 6.

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