OH, the temptation of the forbidden, writes Lara Marlowe. After paying little heed to daily opinion polls for the first month of the election campaign, the French are suddenly desperate to know the results of a poll commissioned by the Swiss Tribune de Geneve. A 20 year old law forbids the publication of polls in France a week before elections. The punishment for violating the rule is a fine of up to 500,000 francs (£55,555).
France Soir newspaper made the Tribune's Internet address its front page headline. "If you want to read the forbidden poll, type www.ediconi.ch/tdg/," the paper said. "A banned poll savoured quietly is as good as Radio Londres during the occupation or a whisky during prohibition."
The Internet address was oversubscribed yesterday and both the Geneva Tribune and a Pyrenees newspaper that defied the ban were sold out in Paris. The Prime Minister, Mr Alain Juppe, said the results of tomorrow's first round of voting will be "difficult to interpret" because of the "dispersion of votes" among so many candidates. There are an average 11 candidates standing for each of 577 seats.