PARIS: French leader Emmanuel Macron and challenger Marine Le Pen qualified on Sunday for what promises to be a very tightly fought presidential election runoff on April 24, pitting a pro-European economic liberal against a far-right nationalist.
With partial results putting Macron in first place ahead of Le Pen after Sunday’s first-round voting, other major candidates admitted defeat. Except for another far-right candidate, Eric Zemmour, they all urged voters to block the far-right in two weeks’ time.
Ifop pollsters predicted a tight runoff, with 51 per cent for Macron and 49 per cent for Le Pen. The gap is so tight that victory either way is within the margin of error.
“Nothing is decided!,” Macron told supporters, urging all voters to rally behind him on Apr 24 to stop the far-right from ruling the European Union’s second-largest economy.
Other pollsters offered a slightly bigger margin in favour of Macron, with up to 54 per cent. But that was in any case much narrower than in 2017, when Macron beat Le Pen with 66.1 per cent of the votes.
Le Pen, who had eaten into the president’s once-commanding 10-point poll lead in recent weeks, said she was the one to protect the weak and unite a nation tired of its elite.
“What will be at stake on April 24 is a choice of society, a choice of civilisation,” she told supporters, who chanted “We will win!” as she told them: “I will bring order back to France.”
Macron, meanwhile, told supporters waving French and EU flags: “The only project that is credible to help purchasing power is ours.”
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