As the French decide on 24 April whether to re-elect centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron, opinion polls seem to suggest that his far-right contender Marine Le Pen from the National Rally party may be a lot closer to evicting him than anyone had previously thought.
The elections have also gripped the interest of the Nato and the European Union, in part because Ms Le Pen is largely seen as a longtime admirer of Russian president Vladimir Putin, whose forces have currently invaded Ukraine.
