Sarkozy, Hollande in close tie ahead of 2012 - poll

The survey by pollster CSA gave Sarkozy 26 percent of overall vote intentions -- the same level of support as Hollande, in a scenario where he would win nomination as the Socialist Party candidate in an October primary.

Sarkozy, labouring under dismal poll ratings for months, has enjoyed a slight bump in popularity since last May, when former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested in New York on charges of attempted rape, effectively removing him from the running as a likely Socialist candidate.

The CSA poll showed that Sarkozy, who is widely expected to run but has not officially announced his candidacy, had advanced by three percentage points since a similar poll in June. Hollande has fallen back by one percentage point.

Hollande has emerged in opinion surveys as the most likely candidate for the opposition Socialists ahead of party leader Martine Aubry, a former labour minister known as the architect of France's controversial 35-hour work week.

In a scenario pitting Sarkozy against Aubry in the first round of the election, the president garnered 27 percent of vote intentions versus 25 percent for Aubry, who has lost half a percentage point since June.

Among leftwing voters and in a wide field of possible Socialist candidates, Aubry trailed Hollande by two percentage points, losing three percentage points since June.