opinion polls

The survey, by pollsters CSA for Le Parisien/Aujourd'hui en France and i-TELE, says that over 80% of the French now judge that the Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin (86%) and President Jacques Chirac (85%) have been "weakened" by the CPE crisis. Only 9% of the questioned people said that Villepin had been "reinforced", and 4% could not decide.

42% of those questioned said they wished "the suspension" of the CPE with "time to find a solution", 41% supported its withdrawal, just 12% backed Villepins wish to keep it as it is and some 5% could not decide.

Tomorrows poll reveals that some 71% of French now believe that in the anti-CPE turbulences exists "a major social crisis which can become extensive during weeks which come".

The survey was carried out by the LH2 pollsters between March the 17th and 18th.

Some 80% of young people between 15 and 24 years of age are now opposed to the 'contract de first engages', according due to a survey to appear in Mondays paper.

For 69% of those probed, the anti-CPE demonstrations were justified, whilst 28% disagreed. The survey was carried out between the 17th and 18th of March with a sample of 1004 people, representative of the French population from 15 years of age.

The survey, by polling company CSA set to appear in tomorrows Parisien,

High school students march this morning in Nice.