A right-wing candidate appears to be within striking distance of defeating French President Emmanuel Macron in the country's upcoming election.
National Party leader Marine Le Pen is seen as the clear favorite to challenge Macron following Sunday's first-round election, the BBC reported.
The latest polls suggest that Le Pen, assuming she advances to the April 24 run-off, is within the margin of error to defeat Macron, who has suffered in the polls after trying to play a role in resolving the Russia-Ukraine war.
A month ago, Le Pen was trailing Macron by 10 points and fighting for a place in the second-round election.
Political experts point out that Le Pen's recent boost has been attributed to the fall of Éric Zemmour, candidate of the right-wing Reconquête party, and his controversial stance on Putin.
"I would say that [Zemmour's] campaign was destroyed by Ukraine," said Gilles Paris, an election specialist for French daily Le Monde.
"His pro-Russian attitude was a burden, while Marine Le Pen was smart enough to pivot to a more moderate point of view. She was ready to accept refugees [immediately], while it took two days for Zemmour to understand that these refugees were well accepted in France."
Macron, meanwhile, lost most of his "war bounce" two weeks ago. He also was slammed by European Union (EU) partner Poland for engaging Putin.
"I'm not the one who is sympathetic to Putin," a frustrated Macron snapped recently, BBC reported. "I'm not the one who looks for funding from Russia. That's other candidates."
While Macron has had to deal with fallout from his discussion with Putin, Le Pen has focused on rising prices at home — a strategy that appears to be paying off.
Le Pen also is still promising strict limits on immigration, a "French-first" policy when it comes to housing, jobs and benefits, and a ban on the Muslim headscarf in public places, the BBC Reported. She has dropped her push to leave the EU.
Putin publicly backed Le Pen during the 2017 presidential race, and her National Rally party currently is repaying a loan from a Russian bank.
One French woman attending a Macron rally this week told BBC that the economic situation had changed her politics.
"There are a lot of French people here who work but are forced to sleep in their cars because they cannot afford an apartment and nobody helps them," a woman named Melina, a care assistant, told the BBC.
"It's a disgrace. I used to vote for the left but I could very well vote on the right this time."
Another woman told the BBC she voted for Macron five years ago because she was "scared" to vote for Le Pen. But now, she's no longer scared.
"She has evolved," the woman named Sophie told the BBC. "She learns from her mistakes. She's more human, and we understand her when she talks."
In 2017, former President Donald Trump said Le Pen was "strongest on borders, and she's the strongest on what's been going on in France" after being asked of that year's French election, Politico reported.
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