Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen will go head to head in a debate on Wednesday evening before next weekend's second-round voting for France's next president. The debate is expected to be followed closely by French-speaking Belgians, along with millions of French voters.
Both candidates are expected to be more cautious than in their last debate for the 2017 presidential election when their interaction became so heated that moderators struggled to maintain control and attacks became personal.
Le Pen came off worse however, as she was seen as sarcastic and unable to respond to questions. This evening, she has spent time resting and doing her homework, ready to field tough questions as well as sharpening rhetorical arrows to aim at her opponent.
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This week, it was revealed that Le Pen is facing allegations of embezzlement of European Parliament funds during her time as an MEP, which along with her longstanding admiration for Vladimir Putin is greatly damaging her campaign.
After five years in office, it may now be easier to land punches on Macron as Le Pen can focus her attacks on his record. Macron's challenge is to win points without appearing arrogant, as many people have criticised his lofty manner.
Battlelines drawn
Pundits have pointed to the differences in the campaigns between candidates.
Speaking on the French current affairs television programme Quotidien, expert in political discourse Cécile Alduy summed up Macron's approach as "antithesis". Alduy explained that this time round, he has more to defend in this debate given that his opponent will be confronting him with is track record rather than simply election promises.
As a result, he has tried to paint the election as a referendum to raise the stakes. To him, the election is between nationalism and progressivism, for or against Europe, for or against the green agenda.
Meanwhile, Alduy described Le Pen with one word: "oxymoron". Her promises seem in frequent contradiction, whether it's embracing feminism and nationalism simultaneously or professing to endorse greater protection of animals while also supporting hunting. Le Pen wants to play both sides to appease her core voters, but at the same time attract new ones, Alduy said.
The debate will be a battle of their two programs, but both candidates are expected to play on voters' rejection of the other one. Overall, Marine Le Pen needs to look more presidential, while Emmanuel Macron needs to appear closer to citizens in France.
The debate is at 21:00 and can be watched on multiple channels such as France 24.
