Who is the "sexiest" French presidential candidate?

Yes, another one of those ridiculous polls to spice up campaigning and distract from the endless political tit-for-tat point scoring in the run-up to the first round of the presidential elections in April.

It's a survey released this week which reveals who the French think is the sexiest candidate in the race for the Elysée.

It was carried out online (says it all, doesn't it) by Harris Interactive on behalf of M6 television and RTL radio, presumably desperate for a new angle before the official announcement (expected on Wednesday evening) by Nicolas Sarkozy that he is going to stand for re-election.

The sample was of "1,025 individuals aged 18 and over and representative of the French population" so it must be credible!

Anyway back to the results and if the French were voting for whom they most fancy, then the winner (at least in the first round) would be...

Drum roll please.

Former prime minister and head of his (virtually) one-man break-out movement République solidaire (United Republic) from the governing centre-right Union pour un mouvement populaire (Union for a Popular Movement, UMP), Dominique de Villepin.

Dominique de Villepin (screenshot BFM TV interview)

And who would he of the finely-chiselled good looks and luscious mane face in a second round run-off?

Yes, this is stretching a survey to its ultimate silliness.

None other than Nathalie Arthaud.

Who?

Nathalie Arthaud (it's perhaps worth repeating) the official candidate of the extreme left Lutte Ouvrière party and the successor to that much-loved seemingly perennial presidential candidate Arlette Laguiller.

Nathalie Arthaud (Wikipedia, author - fepasma)

All right - so the result is about as likely as the poll is in serving some sort of purpose.

But what of the "real" contenders?

Well Sarkozy can still take some comfort before he twitches and grins his way into into the cameras to declare officially his candidacy.

He arrives in a creditable fourth place (Sarkozy sexy? Well Carla obviously thought so, didn't she) just behind the Front National's Marine Le Pen, but ahead of his principle rival the Socialist party's François Hollande.

Just in case you are shaking your head in disbelief at the complete idiocy of such a poll, perhaps you should take some comfort in the fact that 25 per cent of those questioned refused to respond.

There's hope yet!