Gap between Fillon, Le Pen, Macron narrows in French election poll

Emmanuel Macron, head of the political movement En Marche !, or Forward !, and candidate for the 2017 French presidential election, attends a political rally in Paris, France December 10, 2016. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier

PARIS (Reuters) - Conservative candidate Francois Fillon's lead in France's presidential election race has narrowed according to an opinion poll showing independent Emmanuel Macron gaining on both the former prime minister and far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

In a series of scenarios, Fillon was seen winning up to 28 percent of the first-round vote - down by between 7 and 8 points since the Elabe polling institute's last poll, published just after he won the centre-right primary in November.