French Race Up for Grabs Days Before First Ballot Is Cast
- Candidates ‘petrified’ as they rush to preserve their bases
- Abstention rate of 32% is projected by polling firm Elabe
Foundation Concorde's Babeau on French Election
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France’s presidential race enters its final stretch with no clear winner in sight as the main contenders scrap for votes in a flurry of campaign rallies.
“Everyone is petrified,” said Edouard Lecerf, head of the political department at polling firm Kantar Sofres. “The challenge for each of the four candidates is to seek new votes without alienating their base. French voters are like fish, like eels -- very slippery.”