CLASH OF THE TITANS
French election 2017 favourite Emmanuel Macron warns of ‘CIVIL WAR’ under Marine Le Pen – as she slams him for being soft on terror
The pair traded blows during a fiery TV debate ahead of the final poll this Sunday
FRENCH election hopeful Emmanuel Macron has warned France faces "civil war" if Marine Le Pen becomes president.
The pair tore into each other during a fiery TV debate yesterday, clashing over terrorism, the economy and the EU.
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The tone was set in the opening minutes, with Le Pen, 48, branding the former economy minister and investment banker "the candidate of the elite" and the "darling of the system".
Macron, 39, replied that his rival was a liar and a "parasite of the system", who he accused of taking advantage of the public’s fears and frustrations.
On Europe, Le Pen accused Macron of being "submissive" towards German Chancellor Angela Merkel, saying: "France will be led by a woman, either me or Mrs Merkel."
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She also accused the centrist candidate of an "indulgent attitude" towards Islamic fundamentalism and constantly reminded viewers of his role as a minister in unpopular President Francois Hollande's socialist government.
But Macron was combative throughout, framing Le Pen's proposals as simplistic, defeatist and dangerous.
He said her policy of withdrawing France from the euro – a currency she called “the currency of bankers … not the people's currency” – was “nonsense”.
And he raised eyebrows by suggesting France faced civil war if Le Pen were to beat him in the French election this Sunday.
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The independent candidate said his opponent was the favourite choice of extremists as her policies would stoke division and conflict.
He said: “Fighting terrorism is never about falling into their traps – the trap of civil war, the one they have laid for us and which you are offering by dividing the French people.”
Trailing in the polls, the debate was probably Le Pen’s last chance to change the dynamics of the race ahead of the final weekend of campaigning.
A poll by the Elabe group for the BFM channel immediately afterwards showed 63 per cent of people interviewed found Macron the most convincing versus 34 per cent for Le Pen.
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This broadly mirrors forecasts for Sunday's vote.
Macron would win by roughly 59 per cent to 41 per cent if the vote were held now, surveys suggest.
Previous debates during the rollercoaster French campaign have shifted public opinion.
But this one is unlikely to have swayed any committed supporters of either candidate.
It could, however, influence the roughly 18 per cent of undecided voters and others who were planning to abstain.
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