France braced for protests as Macron and Le Pen prepare for presidential runoff

Protests were expected around France on Saturday as opponents of the far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen seek to form a united front to prevent her from winning an election runoff against incumbent Emmanuel Macron on 24 April.

Police warned of possible incidents as demonstrators convened in 30 cities.

Macron, a pro-EU centrist, won the presidency in 2017 after easily beating Le Pen when voters rallied behind him in the runoff to keep the far right out of power.

This year, the first round of voting set up the same battle, but Macron is facing a much tougher challenge.

He is slightly ahead in opinion polls, but before the first round on 10 April Le Pen successfully tapped into anger over the cost of living and a perception that Macron is disconnected from everyday hardships. She finished with 23.1% of votes compared with 27.85% for Macron.

However, she has appeared more rattled this week as the focus turned to her programme, and opinion polls have shown that Macron has extended his lead. An Ipsos-Sopra-Steria poll on Friday showed the president winning the runoff with 56% of votes.

He has won backing from former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande. Hundreds of celebrities and sporting figures have also endorsed him to block Le Pen coming to power.

Speaking to reporters during a campaign stop in southern France, Le Pen dismissed the planned protests as undemocratic.

With the electorate fragmented and undecided, the election will probably be won by the candidate who can reach beyond his or her camp to convince voters that the other option would be far worse.

But Macron, whose sometimes abrasive style and policies that veered to the right have upset many voters, can no longer automatically count on that backing.

Climate change activists from Extinction Rebellion forced the closure of a main square in central Paris on Saturday, protesting against the environmental programmes of both candidates.

Anti-Macron protesters will also gather in Paris on Saturday.