French prefer Merkel over Sarkozy as EU president, poll shows

French prefer Merkel over Sarkozy as EU president, poll showsParis - The French would prefer German Chancellor Angela Merkel to become the Union's first official president rather than their own President Nicolas Sarkozy, according to a poll published by the online news daily Bakchich.

One of four respondents in the survey said Merkel is the European personality "most suitable to become the first president of Europe."

Sarkozy received only 17 per cent of the poll's votes, which left him in third position, trailing even former French president Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who previously headed the committee that drafted the dropped EU constitutional treaty.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso was preferred by 14 per cent of the survey's respondents, ahead of Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, 12 per cent, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, with 4 per cent.

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi brought up the rear, with just 1 per cent support.

The study was carried out by the OpinionWay institute on May 6-7 using a representative sample of 1,068 adults aged 18 and above. (dpa)