France election: Five reasons why the Macron-Le Pen face-off will look very different this time
Emmanuel Macron goes into the French presidential run-off as the frontrunner ahead of Marine Le Pen, with his first-round lead over his rival slightly larger than it was in 2017.
But round two of the duel between the pro-European centrist and his nationalist challenger looks set to be a very different, much closer race than it was five years ago.
Since Macron's then-new "En Marche" movement strode to power, the political landscape has evolved significantly.
Today, the incumbent represents the establishment, and winning over an angry, divided France to keep the far-right out will be a much harder task.
The prospect of Le Pen finally entering the Elysée is a real possibility.
The alarm bells amid the surge in support for Le Pen in the run-up to the first-round vote became even more shrill as the result emerged.
Several defeated candidates warned of a "far-right... at the gates of power". Anne Hidalgo for the Socialists called "with gravity" on supporters to back Macron to prevent France from "tipping over into hatred, with everyone against each other". Valérie Pécresse of the Republicans said she would do the same "to prevent Marine Le Pen coming to power and the chaos that would result".
Two opinion polls published on Sunday night continue to suggest a much tighter second-round race than in 2017 when Macron won a landslide as many voters acted to block the far-right as they had done in 2002 with Le Pen's father.
One survey by Ipsos France gives Macron an eight-point lead, on 54% with Le Pen on 46%. Another from Ifop Opinion puts them almost neck-and-neck, with Macron only just ahead by 51%-49%.
The "Rassemblement National" ("National Rally") leader campaigned deftly before the first round on the cost of living, the voters'
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