Macron attacks Le Pen over her links to Russia as vote looms

PARIS (AP):

French President Emmanuel Macron strongly attacked his far-right election challenger, Marine Le Pen, for her links to Russia in a televised debate Wednesday.

He claimed that by taking out a loan from a Russian bank she made herself dependent on Russian power.

In an extraordinary assault on Le Pen’s credentials to run France, the French leader described Russia as “your banker”, referring to a bank loan her party took out in 2014 from a Russian-Czech bank.

Le Pen bristled at Macron’s suggestion that she is in the Kremlin’s pocket, describing herself as “totally free”.

Macron is leading in the polls ahead of Sunday’s run-off vote.

Both candidates need to broaden support before Sunday’s vote. Many French, especially on the left, say they still don’t know whether they will even go to the polls.

Le Pen is expected to appeal to those who have anti-Macron feelings, criticise his record and present her populist platform as an alternative. She also aims at demonstrating that she has the stature of a potential president, and at promoting what she says are realistic proposals. Among them are banning Muslim headscarves and scaling back relations with the European Union and NATO.

Macron, meanwhile, will advocate his pro-European views as the way to make France stronger in the world. He will seek to convince leftist voters that his pro-business stance shouldn’t deter them from choosing him.

In recent days, he acknowledged some would back him only to counter the far-right candidate.

“I want to convince women and men with diverse political points of view,” Macron said.

It may be an uphill battle.