Paris - One year after they gave Nicolas Sarkozy a solid victory over Socialist Segolene Royal in the French presidential election, a number of French voters appear to regret their choice, according to a poll published Monday in the daily Le Figaro.

Asked in the survey carried out by OpinionWay whom they would vote for if the election were held now, voters were evenly split between Sarkozy and Royal.

In the real election, on May 6, 2007, Sarkozy thrashed Royal by 53 to 47 per cent.

The result attests both to the loss of confidence in the president and to the absence of an effective mainstream opposition that could take full advantage of Sarkozy's unpopularity.

The OpinionWay poll confirmed other surveys that showed a deep discontent with Sarkozy's performance, with 68 per cent of respondents saying they were dissatisfied with the results of his policies.

In addition, 63 per cent of those contacted said they were dissatisfied with the manner in which he exercises the function of president.

However, the poll did not pit Sarkozy against the most popular Socialist politician, Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, who will almost certainly be standing against Royal to represent the party in the 2012 presidential election.

Another survey, made public on Saturday in the weekly Marianne, was perhaps more indicative of Sarkozy's loss of favour with French voters. In the poll, 55 per cent said they did not want him to stand again in 2012, against only 29 per cent who said they did. (dpa)