Polls should be more transparent

OPINION groups would be forced to reveal more about their methods and funding, if a new law is passed.

However, while the Senate unanimously passed the bill last night, the government has said it will block it.

Some MPs have said they are willing to vote against the government, which they say is caving into the wishes of opinion polls groups.

The law would demand that all polls reveal who paid for them and who asked for them, the methods used, questions asked and the raw data.

It would also ban any form of contribution towards those who took part.

The bill follows criticism of the amount of money spent by the Elysée Palace on opinion polls.

The government has declared it will oppose the bill.

Spokesman Patrick Ollier told Le Monde: "The government is not against the intentions of the proposal, which are good, but the Interior Minister sees three objections: constitutionality, applicability and opportunism."

MPs of the governing UMP party are talking of rebelling and passing the bill, saying the government is ignoring the will of parliament.

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