Lagarde would equal any other centrist in Elysée run, poll shows

Christine Lagarde, the departing president of the European Central Bank, would fare as well as center-right candidate Edouard Philippe were she to run in next year’s French presidential election, according to new polling commissioned by POLITICO. Lagarde, who served as French economy minister almost two decades ago under former President Nicolas Sarkozy, would get 14% of the vote were she to run instead of Philippe, who would receive 13.5% against a similar slate of candidates, according to polling from Cluster17.

While Lagarde has previously ruled out running, her early departure from the ECB next February has renewed speculation she could take part in a contest where centrist and right-wing candidates have struggled to break through. In a highly unlikely scenario in which Lagarde runs next to Philippe and multiple recently declared candidates, including Olympic judo champion Teddy Riner and columnist Natasha Polony, she would also rival President Emmanuel Macron’s former prime minister with 8% support.