Up to 60% of left-leaning French voters want former IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn, whose high-profile trial on sexual assault charges could now collapse, to return to French politics, a new poll has shown.
Among the general public, 49% want Mr Strauss-Kahn to return to the French political scene while 45% are against it, the Harris Interactive poll said.
The poll, published by French daily Le Parisien, was taken after Mr Strauss-Kahn's release from house arrest on Friday and news that questions had been raised about the credibility of his accuser.
Before his arrest on 14 May on charges of sexually assaulting a hotel cleaner in New York, Mr Strauss-Kahn had been widely expected to challenge French president Nicolas Sarkozy in 2012 elections and was the most popular among other possible contenders.
The poll also showed that while left-wing sympathisers see Mr Strauss-Kahn returning to French politics, they are less sure about whether he should take part in the 2012 presidential race.
Only 51% of French leftists want the Socialist Party to postpone the 13 July deadline for registering candidacies in the primary to choose the party's contender.
Among the wider population, 49% of those polled - compared to 43% of leftists - do not want the Socialist Party to postpone the deadline.
Mr Strauss-Kahn's next court appearance in New York will be for a 18 July hearing.
His supporters say he should have the right to run for the French presidency.
If the US justice system were to clear Mr Strauss-Kahn's name, he could still make a bid, as candidates have until mid-March to declare themselves for the 22 April election.
But analysts say that the massive media coverage about his philandering and luxury lifestyle have damaged his image, making a 2012 run unlikely.
