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French incumbent Emmanuel Macron declared Monday that he wants to "convince" a broad range of French voters to back his centrist vision, kicking off a two-week battle against far-right challenger Marine Le Pen ahead of the country's presidential runoff vote.
Le Pen, meanwhile, is ready for the fight, planning to highlight rising prices for energy and food that have hit poorer households especially hard recently as Macron has focused his efforts on seeking diplomatic solutions to the Ukraine crisis.
The two candidates came out on top in Sunday's first-round presidential vote, setting up an April 24 replay of their duel in 2017. Macron trounced Le Pen five years ago in the presidential runoff but all opinion polls show the leader of the National Rally is much closer this time to a potential win.
Macron headed Monday to an economically depressed area of northern France where a majority of voters had chosen Le Pen, close to her electoral stronghold of Henin-Beaumont.
"I'm here, and I'm determined to fight," the 44-year-old president said during his visit to the town of Denain, adding that he heard the concerns of people who struggle to find a job and earn more money.
This even as Le Pen met with National Rally officials to plan strategy for runoff. Later Monday, Le Pen was to visit a cereal producer in the Burgundy region to speak about rising prices and making "strong, urgent decisions to protect the purchasing power of the French.”
The topic has been at the core of her campaign this year, but Macron's team argues that, due to the economic impact of the crisis in Ukraine, Le Pen wouldn't have the financial means to meet her campaign promises.
Macron said he wants to court those who voted for the "extremes" or opted to stay at home. He met with residents in Denain, many of whom criticized his proposed pension changes, which include raising the minimum retirement age from 62 to 65.
（AP）
