Marine Le Pen's allies soften headscarf policy days before run-off vote

Opinion polls suggest French President Emmanuel Macron is leading before Sunday’s vote

Marine Le Pen, the far-right candidate in the French presidential election, meets voters in the southern commune of Pertuis, near Marseille, on Friday. Reuters

Supporters of French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen have said a headscarf ban would be introduced gradually if she is elected, as her campaign seeks to win over left-leaning voters before a run-off poll on Sunday.

Louis Aliot, the far-right Mayor of Perpignan, said the ban would be introduced “little by little”, marking a softening of the campaign’s policy.

Ms Le Pen previously described the hijab as an “Islamist uniform” and called for a ban.

"There will be a debate in parliament and then the choice will be made," Mr Aliot told the France Inter radio network.

Another ally of Ms Le Pen, David Rachline, the Mayor of the south-eastern town of Frejus, said on Monday that "we don't want to attack people".

"All those women wearing a hijab are not Islamists," he said.

An estimated five million Muslims live in France, one of the largest populations in western Europe. Public servants are barred from wearing headscarves at work and the garment is banned in schools.

The issue of head coverings has become increasingly prominent on the political agenda before the run-off vote between President Emmanuel Macron and Ms Le Pen, as her right-wing policies come under the spotlight.

She wants to ban the headscarf in public places, with fines to be issued to those who break the rules. She has said the rule could be enforced in a similar way to regulations on wearing a seatbelt in cars.

French President Emmanuel Macron and fellow presidential candidate Marine Le Pen before a live televised debate in Saint-Denis, north of Paris. AFP

A potential voter watches the debate on the French island of Corsica. AFP

Mr Macron will face far-right National Rally candidate Ms Le Pen in the second round of the elections on Sunday. AFP

Election posters in Paris. Getty Images

Ms Le Pen campaigns at a street market in Etaples, northern France. AP Photo

Mr Macron at a rally in Marseille. AFP

Ms Le Pen campaigns amid crowds in Normandy. AP

Macron supporters in Saint-Pierre-en-Auge, northern France. AP

Protesters in Paris demonstrate against the rise of the far right in French politics. Getty Images

Students in Paris clash with police as they protest against the two final candidates in the French presidential election. Getty Images

Mr Macron greets supporters at Place du Chateau in Strasbourg. EPA

The president appears on an evening news broadcast. AFP

Ms Le Pen greets supporters in Vernon, Normandy. EPA

Activists wearing T-shirts reading ‘tax the rich’ interrupt a speech by Mr Macron at a campaign event in Strasbourg. EPA

Mr Macron speaks to residents in Chatenois, Alsace. AP

Journalists are barred from the room as Ms Le Pen gives a press conference in Paris. EPA

Mr Macron faces the media on a campaign visit to Grand Est, north-eastern France. AFP

Ms Le Pen holds a press conference on diplomacy and foreign policy in Paris. AFP

A handshake from the president in the Grand Est region. AFP

A laughing Ms Le Pen at a campaign meeting near Paris. AFP

Mr Macron during his presidential run, in Grand Est. AFP

Ms Le Pen make the evening news, in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris. AFP

But on Friday a voter wearing a hijab told Ms Le Pen to “leave the Muslims alone” while she was on the campaign trail.

Ms Le Pen has acknowledged that the issue is a complex one. She said parliament would have its say on the matter and that any unwanted law could be revoked.

Polls show that Mr Macron is the more likely winner of the run-off, but with a slim margin.

On Monday, an Ipsos poll for France Info radio and the newspaper Le Parisien showed Mr Macron leading Ms Le Pen with 56 per cent of the vote, up 0.5 per cent from the day before and 3 per cent from the first round of voting on April 10.

The pair face a potentially crucial public debate on Wednesday. The pair went head to head in 2017, when Mr Macron was considered to be the winner, clearing the way for his first-term victory.