Opinion polls suggest the gap between the Socialist candidate and Mr Sarkozy has narrowed.

BBC: French election: Hollande wants 75% tax on top earners

The centre-right electoral coalition has been trailing in opinion polls - but the gap has recently narrowed.

BBC: Silvio Berlusconi makes Italy property tax pledge

His party has only recently eased a bit further ahead of the Socialists in the opinion polls: but the gap is still only 4%.

ECONOMIST: Jose Maria Aznar, Spain��s dark horse

The existence of hidden income has expanded the income gap remarkably, in our opinion.

FORBES: The Chinese Have $1.5 Trillion In Hidden Income

The gap between Labour's opinion-poll ratings and its performance in the mid-term ballot box may be embarrassing for Tony Blair, but it is not necessarily evidence that the polls are wrong about voting intention in a general election.

ECONOMIST: The local elections (1)

But since the strike the gap has narrowed to eight points: opinion polls showed a similar lead before the Maastricht vote.

ECONOMIST: Denmark and the European Union

Recent opinion polls show that the Republican -- Democrat divide on Israel in Congress reflects a growing partisan gap among the general public.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Republicans, Democrats & Israel