ECB's Lagarde would rival centrists in French presidential race, poll shows

PARIS, Nov 12 - Departing European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde would fare as well as center-right candidate Edouard Philippe if she ran in France's presidential election next year, polling commissioned by POLITICO showed on Wednesday.

• If Lagarde decides to run, she would win about 14% of first-round votes, slightly ahead of Philippe's 13.5%, highlighting the fragmentation of the centrist electorate

• However, both would trail far-right leader Marine Le Pen and left-wing candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who are projected to advance to the runoff under the poll's scenarios

• Lagarde, who served as France's economy minister under former President Nicolas Sarkozy nearly two decades ago, is due to leave the ECB on February 7, about a month before potential candidates must formally declare their intention to run for president

• Asked by POLITICO at the Paris Peace Forum on Wednesday whether she still ruled out running, Lagarde said, "I said I want to recover my freedom to speak, my freedom to engage in matters that are not monetary policy, and that's what I want to do." REUTERS