The police have warned for possible episodes as protesters are concentrated in about 30 cities. Macron, a pro-European Union centrist, won the presidency in 2017 after easily beating Le Pen as voters rallied behind him in the second round to keep his far-right party out of power. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register This year, the first round of voting last Sunday gave the same battle, but Macron faces a much tougher challenge. In central Paris, thousands of people rallied shouting anti-right slogans and warning of democratic unrest if Le Pen won. A banner read: “Against the far right. For justice and equality, not Le Pen in the Elysium”, referring to the official residence of the French president. “If the far right is in power, we will see a major collapse of the democratic, anti-racist and progressive camps,” said Dominique Sopo, president of SOS Racism, which, along with dozens of rights groups, unions and unions, called for protests. , he told Reuters. “People need to realize that despite their anger at Emanuel Macron and his policies, there is no equivalence between a liberal, conservative candidate and an extreme right-wing candidate.” Macron, who will hold a rally in Marseille later in the day as he tries to persuade left-wing voters to elect him on April 24, is slightly ahead of opinion polls. But before the first round on April 10, Lepen successfully exploited anger over the cost of living and the perception that Macron is cut off from daily hardships. Thus he finished with 23.1% of the votes against 27.85% of Macron. However, it appeared more noisy this week, as the focus has shifted to its manifesto and polls have shown that Macron is extending his lead. An IPSOS-Sopra-Steria poll on Friday showed the president winning the second round with 56% of the vote. He has won the support of former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande. Hundreds of celebrities and sports figures have also backed him to prevent Lepen from coming to power. DEEP ANTI-DEMOCRATIC PROTESTS Lepen, whose stance is anti-immigrant and Eurosceptic, has sought in recent years to tarnish the image of herself and her party in the National Rally. Opponents, including Macron, said her program was full of lies and false promises – a charge Lepen rejected. Speaking to reporters during a campaign in southern France, Le Pen rejected the planned demonstrations as anti-democratic. “The establishment is worried,” he said. “The fact that people are protesting about the election results is deeply anti-democratic. I tell all these people to just go to the polls. It’s so simple.” With the electorate fragmented and undecided, the election is likely to be won by the candidate who can reach beyond his camp to convince voters that the other option would be much worse. For decades, a “republican front” of voters from all sides rallying behind a ruling candidate has helped keep the far right out of power. But Macron, whose sometimes aggressive style and right-wing policies have upset many voters, can no longer automatically count on that support. Stressing that, for some voters, choosing Macron is not an easy decision, a banner read in Paris: “Neither Le Pen nor Macron”. Climate change activists from the Extinction Rebellion had earlier forced the closure of a main square and an avenue in the capital, protesting the environmental programs of both candidates. “This election leaves us with no choice between a far-right candidate with disgusting ideas … and a candidate who for five years sidelined the ecology issue and lied,” said Lou, a 26-year-old history teacher who joined the Extinction Rebellion movement. two years ago, he told Reuters. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Additional References by Marco Trujillo Edited by Frances Kerry, Ross Russell and Clelia Oziel Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
