French elections 2022: Le Pen urges France to defeat 'elitist bloc' in Macron showdown

Far-right candidate encourages supporters of third-placed Melenchon to come out and vote

French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen arrives at a gathering of supporters in Avignon on April 14. AFP

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen on Thursday urged France to defeat elitism and oligarchy in elections this month, as she seeks to attract left-wing voters to beat President Emmanuel Macron.

Centrist Mr Macron and Ms Le Pen went through to the April 24 run-off vote after finishing first and second in the April 10 first round.

But analysts say that the choice of voters who backed the third-placed candidate, the hard-left Jean-Luc Melenchon, will be crucial in determining the outcome of the vote.

In a major rally in the southern city of Avignon, Ms Le Pen, in a red jacket, said she was addressing "patriots of the right, patriots of the left".

"Victory has never been so near," she told about 4,000 supporters.

"Come out and vote. We are speaking to all the French. We hold out a firm hand but one of friendship and respect."

.

Mr Macron earlier received a boost when his predecessor as president, the Socialist Francois Hollande, urged the French to back the incumbent in round two because Ms Le Pen "was putting our principles into doubt".

Mr Hollande told TF1 TV he was calling on France to vote for Mr Macron "for the sake of the cohesion of France" and its "European future".

Mr Macron this week also won the backing of right-wing former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

"We are almost at the end of the road, a long path that has often been steep and hit by gusts," said Ms Le Pen, who has moderated her image to give her the best chance yet for the Elysee.

Critics say her changes have only been in style, with hardline signature policies in place including making it illegal for women to wear the Muslim headscarf in public.

But Ms Le Pen urged France to block a new five-year term for Mr Macron to stop "social desolation and national deconstruction" and put an end to "this caste that governs us with arrogance; these few who rule for the benefit of the few".

"On April 24, the popular bloc will come face-to-face with the elitist bloc," she said.

It will be a showdown between the "people and the oligarchy", she said.

Ms Le Pen said Mr Macron was "not the man of a new era but the last avatar of a system that has run its course".

"I think the moment has come to put an end to a system that has run out of breath."

Ms Le Pen's choice of Avignon for her rally was carefully chosen, because Mr Melenchon had come out on top in the city in the first round of voting.

People walk past official campaign posters of French presidential election candidates Marine le Pen and French President Emmanuel Macron, in Paris, France. Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is running for re-election in the 2022 French election, at a campaign rally in Nanterre, Paris. Reuters

French far-right Reconquete party leader and 2022 presidential election candidate Eric Zemmour (C) throws his arms aloft at the end of a campaign rally at Trocadero in Paris. EPA

Far-right Rassemblement National party MP Marine Le Pen takes a selfie with supporters. AFP

Les Republicains presidential candidate Valerie Pecresse delivers a speech on the campaign trail in the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe. AFP

Ruralist party 'Resistons!' presidential candidate Jean Lassalle is surrounded by supporters before delivering a speech in Toulouse, southern France. AFP

Official campaign posters of Marine le Pen and Emmanuel Macron pasted on bulletin boards near the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Reuters

Hundreds of public servants prepare party political propaganda to be mailed, only days before the first round of the presidential election in France. AFP

A supporter holds up a placard reading "With You" at an election campaign event for Emmanuel Macron in Paris. Bloomberg

Emmanuel Macron speaks to journalists at the Maison de la Radio in Paris. AFP

French far-left party Lutte Ouvriere (LO) presidential candidate Nathalie Arthaud (C) raises her hand at a rally at Zenith concert hall in Paris. AFP

Emmanuel Macron sings the French national anthem as he appears on a giant screen at the end of his first campaign meeting at the Paris La Defence Arena in Nanterre. AFP

French Socialist Party presidential candidate Anne Hidalgo waves to supporters in Paris. AFP

French leftist party La France Insoumise presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon delivers a speech in Toulouse. AFP

Europe Ecologie Les Verts presidential candidate Yannick Jadot plays football with youngsters at Andre-Malraux park in Nanterre. AFP

A supporter of Valerie Pecresse holds a campaign poster in Paris. EPA

Marine Le Pen gives a speech during a campaign meeting in Stiring-Wendel. AFP

French far-left party Nouveau Parti Anticapitaliste presidential candidate Philippe Poutou delivers a speech at the Cirque d’Hiver in Paris. AFP

French Communist Party presidential candidate Fabien Roussel sings at the end of a campaign meeting at the Double Mixte venue in Villeurbanne. AFP

Far-right party Debout La France presidential candidate Nicolas Dupont-Aignan speaks to a fisherman in Palavas-les-Flots, southern France. AFP

A campaign rally for Eric Zemmour in Paris. AFP

Mr Macron, who is due to host a major rally on Saturday in the southern city of Marseille, on Thursday visited the northern port city of Le Havre, where Mr Melenchon also led in the first round.

"I will try and convince all the voters," he said, as he went on a walk through the city, which is run by influential former prime minister Edouard Philippe.

The most recent polls have shown a tight contest between Mr Macron and Ms Le Pen, although there are signs that the president might be slightly extending a lead.

An Opinonway poll Wednesday showed Mr Macron on 53 per cent and Ms Le Pen on 47 per cent.

But even such a margin is too close for comfort for supporters of Mr Macron, who won more than 66 per cent against Ms Le Pen in their run-off in 2017.

A pivotal moment in the final phase of the campaign will come on April 20 when the two meet for their only live TV debate.