Too close to call:
The first round of voting in France’s rollercoaster election takes place on Sunday, with four candidates almost neck and neck in the polls, and one in three voters saying they’re still undecided. The final fortnight of the campaign has seen several twists: a surge in popularity for the hard-left firebrand Jean-luc Mélenchon, following his dynamic performance in a TV debate; and support for the scandal-hit Republican François Fillon recovering slightly. Any two of the four now seem to have a realistic chance of making it into the second and decisive round of voting, on 7 May. In the first round, polls show the independent centrist Emmanuel Macron and the National Front’s Marine Le Pen vying for first place, each on around 22%-23%, with Fillon and Mélenchon on around 19%-21%. Macron is the bookies’ favourite to win the presidency. This week, Le Pen announced that she would suspend all immigration to France if elected, in a last-ditch bid to shore up right-wing support ( see page 14).