PARIS, Aug 30 (Reuters) - A large majority of French voters back President Nicolas Sarkozy's call for a constitutional rule limiting public deficits, a poll showed on Tuesday, handing the conservative president a morale-booster ahead of elections.
The Ifop poll showed 78 percent of respondents supported the so-called "golden rule" which Sarkozy has proposed but his Socialist adversaries reject.
That was markedly higher than the 60 percent support suggested in a CSA poll published last week.
The proposed constitutional change has become a cornerstone of Sarkozy’s endeavour to protect France‘s top-notch credit rating and present himself as the safest pair of hands on public finances in the run-up to a presidential election in April.
It would need the support of a three-fifths majority across both houses of parliament to pass, currently an unlikely prospect according to analysts.
Along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Sarkozy has called for euro-wide fiscal controls in order to restore markets’ bruised faith in the euro.
Sarkozy’s proposal has broad support, according to the new Ifop survey, conducted from Aug. 25-26, with 74 percent of left-wing voters in favour of a measure the Socialists are opposing.
About 82 percent of voters on the political right approved of it in the survey.
A separate Ifop poll published on Aug. 13 showed 82 percent of respondents were worried about France‘s public deficit and a sovereign debt which, at around 85 percent of gross domestic product this year, is well above the euro zone’s recommended 60 percent.
Political analysts see the rule as a win-win for Sarkozy, who trails Socialist challengers in opinion polls.
The Socialist Party has pledged to make deficit cutting a priority but is opposed to the constitutional rule it considers limited in impact and ripe for political posturing.
