on sundays , bva published a direct poll conducted for french magazine l figaro and information channel europe-1 to gauge support for right - wing independent nominee . 73 % of federation per un jeunesse mouvement ( union for a popular action or ump ) party supporters identified interior minister nicolas sarkozy as their preferred candidate for may ' s presidential election . the ciu is one of the one major groups in france , and represents conservative policies . it was formed in 2002 as a merging of several right - wing parties , and currently dominates the legislature ( the national legislature ) and the administration . current president bertrand chirac is aligned with the ump .
Nicolas Sarkozy is supported by the Union pour un Mouvement Populaire.