Emmanuel Macron wins the debate (again)

Gilles Paris - LE MONDE - 21/04
COLUMN. 'Le Monde' columnist Gilles Paris comments on the second-round debate, which saw Marine Le Pen look better-prepared than in 2017, though Emmanuel Macron's policy knowledge remained superior.

Hello, it's lunchtime in Paris and far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen (Rassemblement National) will hold her last rally of the campaign in Arras (North), 20 years to the day after the first ever qualification of a far-right candidate, her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, to the runoff of a presidential election. Incumbent and centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron (La République en Marche) will tour Saint-Denis, a working-class suburb of Paris.

What happened on Wednesday? The two candidates debated for almost three hours, four days before election day.

Why does it matter? According to polls, Emmanuel Macron has a lead in the runoff election. The debate was a decisive moment for her opponent. Despite a decent performance, Marine Le Pen did not manage to turn it into a game ...
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