GETTY Marine Le Pen and Francois Fillon

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The survey, which was carried by out for Les Echos newspaper in the wake of Penelopegate – the financial scandal involving M Fillon’s wife Penelope – shows the Les Republicains candidate will be knocked out in round one and lose to rivals Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron. Mlle Le Pen, the leader of France’s Front National party, will come first in the election’s first round in April with 26-27 per cent of the votes, while M Macron would garner 22-23 per cent and M Fillon 19-20 per cent, the poll shows.

Reports concerning M Fillon have seen him lose six percentage points in less than one month; Mlle Le Pen, however, has won three percentage points since January. But despite experiencing an unexpected surge in voter support, the eurosceptic candidate is not poised to win the spring election. Socialist shaker-upper M Macron is set to be sworn in as France’s new president with 65 per cent of the votes in the final round of voting.

GETTY M Fillon and his wife Penelope who were recently hit by scandal

GETTY Mlle Le Pen has won three percentage points since January

Mlle Le Pen, for her part, would garner 35-41 per cent. If M Fillon makes it through to the second round run-off, he will beat Mlle Le Pen with 59 per cent of the votes. But that scenario is looking increasingly unlikely: a Harris Interactive opinion poll published on Thursday shows that more than two-thirds of voters – 69 per cent – want M Fillon to drop out of the presidential race and “make room for a new candidate”.

GETTY More than one-third of voters think former prime minister Alain Juppé should replace M Fillon