French President Emmanuel Macron has maintained and possibly slightly extended his lead over far-right challenger Marine Le Pen after a prickly TV debate that he was judged to have won, polls showed on Thursday.
With only three days to go before Sunday's election run-off, the two were back on the campaign trail — Mr Macron in a Paris suburb with a strong left-wing vote, and Ms Le Pen in the north of the country where she has a loyal following.
"Why wait for Macron to step down when, by using your vote, you can fire him?" she told a rally in the town of Arras, in which she urged a "silent majority" opposed to Mr Macron not to let him win by abstaining.
The latest polls suggested the incumbent was gaining momentum.
Three surveys all including responses gathered on Thursday after the TV debate showed Mr Macron's score stable or slightly rising, to reach between 55.5 per cent and 57.5 per cent.
But they also put the turnout rate at between 72 and 74 per cent, which would be the lowest for a presidential run-off since 1969.
Viewers of Wednesday's televised encounter throught Mr Macron had been prone to bouts of high-handedness with Ms Le Pen, but also found him more convincing and fit to be president, showed another poll, by Elabe for BFM TV.
-
Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, at an election night event after voting in the first round of the French presidential election, in Paris. Bloomberg -
Emmanuel Macron at a rally in Paris after the first round of voting in the French presidential election as early exit polls suggested victory. Getty Images -
Mr Macron after partial results were declared in the first round of the 2022 French presidential election. Reuters -
Supporters in Paris cheer Mr Macron at a rally after the first-round vote. Getty Images -
Marine Le Pen, centre, of the French far-right party Rassemblement National, and supporters after the first round of voting. AFP -
Supporters cheer in Paris as exit polls indicated Mr Macron would win the election. Getty Images -
The French leader acknowledges his supporters at a rally in Paris. Getty Images -
Eric Zemmour, candidate of the far-right Reconquete! party, waves to supporters after voting ended in the first round of the French presidential election. AFP -
Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen delivers a speech at her election day headquarters in Paris. AP -
Supporters of Mr Zemmour as preliminary results of the first round of the presidential election were announced in Paris. AP -
Ballots for the first round of the presidential election are counted in Marseille, southern France. AP -
French President Emmanuel Macron, who was seeking re-election, accompanied by his wife Brigitte, greets people at a polling station in Le Touquet-Paris, France. EPA -
Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen casts her ballot at a polling station in Henin-Beaumont, northern France. AFP -
A sign indicates where to vote at a polling station, in Le Touquet-Paris. Bloomberg -
A voter wearing a robe and slippers arrives to cast his ballot at a polling station in Reims, north-eastern France. AFP -
French citizens living in India arrive to cast their votes at France's consulate general, in the region of Pondicherry. AFP -
A man votes in Saint-Denis, outside Paris. AP -
Presidential candidate of the far-right DLF party, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, casts his ballot in Yerres, south-east of Paris. AFP -
The French ecologist party EELV's presidential candidate, Yannick Jadot, takes ballots before voting at a polling station in Paris. AFP -
Far-right candidate Eric Zemmour votes in Paris. AP -
A polling station worker checks voters turnout by hour at a polling station in Marseille. EPA -
A voter inside a voting booth in Paris. AP -
Mayor of Paris and presidential candidate Anne Hidalgo votes at a polling station in the French capital. EPA -
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, centre, greets an electoral officer at a polling station in Paris. AFP -
The presidential candidate of the LFI party, Jean-Luc Melenchon, casts his ballot at a polling station in Marseille. EPA
Ms Le Pen, who focused on empathy with people she said had "suffered" since Mr Macron beat her in 2017, was judged slightly more in tune with voters' concerns but her far-right views were still considered much more worrying, the poll showed.
"Did she give the impression she is ready to govern?" Le Parisien said in an editorial on Thursday. "Judging by the debate, she did not dispel that doubt."
Other analysts said the debate should be taken with a pinch of salt as only 15.5 million people tuned in to watch it, the smallest audience recorded for such an event.
The centrist, former merchant banker Mr Macron is a staunch supporter of the EU and the kind of internationalism that has in recent years suffered setbacks from events such as Brexit and the election of Donald Trump as US president.
Ms Le Pen says he embodies an elitism that has failed ordinary people.
Her policies include a ban on Muslim headscarves in public, giving French nationals priority on jobs and benefits, and limiting Europe's rules on cross-border travel.
Mr Macron on Thursday sought to win new supporters in a photo opportunity at a boxing club in the Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis.
It is a key target for both candidates because its electorate voted heavily for hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon in the first round.
"Things are not changing quickly enough," Mr Macron acknowledged to a gathering of locals there.
He promised to put more resources into housing, security, education and job opportunities for underprivileged communities.
It is unclear whether the last two days of campaigning will change votes. Mr Macron's lead in polls is narrower than five years ago, when he beat Ms Le Pen with 66.1 per cent of the vote.
It has been a bitter campaign that could bode ill for either candidate's ability to win a parliamentary majority in June and implement reforms.
If Mr Macron wins, he could face a difficult second term, with voters of all stripes likely to take to the streets again over his plan to continue his pro-business reforms.
If Ms Le Pen wins, radical changes to France's domestic and international policies would be expected, and street protests could start immediately.
