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