Macron Brushes Off Attacks as Debate Reassures Investors
- Nationalist leader struggles to overturn president’s lead
- French will choose new leader in runoff vote on Sunday
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Emmanuel Macron and nationalist leader Marine Le Pen struggled to land a knock out blow during their one-and-only debate, an encounter that left the French president in the box seat four days before the final round of the presidential election on Sunday.
Some 15.6 million viewers watched the long and rather technical head-to-head on Wednesday during which both candidates confirmed their positions on key issues, from tech startups to the European Union. Both were careful to avoid reaching the hostility of their previous encounter in 2017.