Le Pen most popular – in Russia

Russians’ sympathies lay squarely with the underdog candidate, Front National’s Marine Le Pen, The Moscow Times reports.

According to the newspaper Russians are taking a keen interest in the French elections. The state-pollster VTsIOM has revealed that 55 percent of respondents are following the latest developments, and 10 percent says they are watching the elections closely.

Fifty-seven percent of all Russians polled by VTsIOM said the result of the French elections will have an impact on Russia.

Marie Le Pen enjoys greater visibility in Russia than her rivals, with 71 percent of respondents saying they are familiar with her. The candidate is also overwhelmingly the favorite among Russians, which is likely the result of favorable coverage of Le Pen’s campaign on Russian state TV, The Moscow Times report.