A majority of Nicolas Sarkozy's supporters want the former French president to be his party's candidate in 2017 presidential contest, despite the embarrassing “Sarkoleaks” affair which has dominated headlines in recent weeks.
According to a poll conducted by the French Institute of Public Opinion (Ifop) and published by Paris daily Le Figaro, 62 percent of centre-right Union for a Popular Movement supporters want Sarkozy to be the party's candidate for the Élysée Palace.
Despite the latest scandal, Sarkozy remains the most popular candidate among UMP supporters, said Ifop director Jerome Fourquet.
Sarkozy has gained six points in opinion polls compared to March 2013 and 2 percentage points compared with ratings taken last November.
Former foreign minister and current mayor of Bordeaux, Alain Juppe, still lags in second place behind Sarkozy, with the backing of only 18 percent of UMP supporters.
The survey was conducted between March 12-14 on a representative sample of 744 UMP supporters, using the quota method.
This boost for Sarkozy follows the leaking earlier this month of transcripts of private conversations between the former president and some of his advisers, which prompted anger and indignation for the UMP party.
The recordings were made by Patrick Buisson, a former adviser to Sarkozy during his 2007-2012 presidency, and they were published by a French newspaper on March 5.
A week later, a daily newspaper revealed that judges eavesdropped on calls between Sarkozy and his lawyer Thierry Herzog over the former president's purported links with former Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi, who he is alleged to have received funding from for his 2007 election campaign.
Analysts have said that the scandal could destabilize Sarkozy's party ahead of the upcoming municipal elections scheduled for March 23 and March 30. The UMP is hoping to reclaim several large cities from the ruling Socialist Party.
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