French President Emmanuel Macron ramped up his campaign for a second term, with his allies zeroing in on rival candidate Marine Le Pen’s links to Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
As the second round of campaigning began on Monday ahead of a final vote in two weeks’ time, Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said voters have a choice between an “ally of Vladimir Putin” and a president who had put France at the forefront of Europe.
“Another battle is commencing with two visions of France,” he told RTL radio on Monday. He said a Le Pen victory would see France turn its back on its European Union partners and leave working people poorer.
