Le Pen, who has renewed his image, relies on pastel tones and softer rhetoric than before – but the core of the election program is still on the far right.

NICE Election posters flutter in the wind and clouds hang low as residents of the famous seaside town sip their morning coffee. Nice is one of the cities whose voting results will be closely monitored on Sunday night.

Many of France’s larger cities have a strongly seated president Emmanuel Macronin behind, but in nice his and Marine Le Penin the battle is predicted to be even. In the first round, center-liberal Macron won 25 percent and far-right Le Pen 22.5 percent of the Nice vote.

Le Pen’s National Alliance party has traditionally fared well in the south of France. On the other hand, Macron also has a stable fan base on the Riviera.

A young woman taking a tobacco break in front of a coffee shop. He says he believes the second round of the presidential election on Sunday will be tight.

– Many of my friends are still wondering who to vote for. The evening will be exciting, Mélanie Martinez forecast.

Opinion polls are beating Macron, but the gap between the candidates is smaller than the 2017 election.

National Alliance President Marine Le Pen has campaigned in this election in a different style than before. He has faded immigration speeches into the background and instead promised new housing and business subsidies, especially for young French people, and spoke in favor of the purchasing power of low- and middle-income earners.

The drive for EU secession has changed from within to reform the European Union. Le Pen would like to restrict free movement, but instead of Frexit, he is talking about a “union of free and sovereign European nations”.

He has taken a distance from Russia since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, but opposes the extension of sanctions on Russia to energy trade. Le Pen would also detach France from NATO’s command system. As President-elect, Marine Le Pen would like to amend the French constitution to tighten immigration and asylum policies.

Mélanie Martinez ponders Le Pen’s plans. Some think he makes some sense, some don’t.

– He’s not as radical at all as his father Jean-Marieit’s pretty clear, Martinez replies.

Martinez says she appreciates Le Pen’s success as a woman in politics. According to him, French politics needs the ventilation that a female president could bring.

– However, many of Le Pen’s proposals, such as the scarf ban, are still really harsh and would offend too many. Here in Nice, too, there are huge women wearing scarves and they can’t just be forced to dress differently, Martinez says.

Sebastian works as a waitress in the old town of Nice. He is not going to vote in the second round, as he is not enthusiastic about either candidate and is on the job all Sunday, moreover.

However, the young man says he hopes Le Pen won’t win.

– Le Pen has tidied up his speeches and tried to adapt to the prevailing atmosphere. He has managed to seem kind and easy going even crazier Éric Zemmourin alongside, but for me, Le Pen is still a monster, Sebastian says.

Sebastian is concerned about the right-wing nature of French politics and the inequality of society.

He points to an adjacent street with tents erected on the edge. Homelessness is a growing problem in many French cities and the number of homeless people in Nice even doubled last year.

– I hope that the future president will take better care of the poorest. For example, there is too little emergency accommodation and the night shelter cannot be reached with a pet, even though almost all the homeless have a dog, Sebastian complains.

He thinks Macron hasn’t listened to the concerns of low-income citizens, but doesn’t think Marine Le Pen is genuinely interested in them either.

Laeticia Chassaing keeps newsstands in the center of Nice on the edge of Place Masséna. He has been following major demonstrations in recent years: first the yellow vesting rally every Saturday and then the protests of opponents of the vaccine passport.

– Every day I hear a lot of people’s worries and pent-up dissatisfaction. Low-income workers and retirees in particular are struggling to make ends meet, and many have gotten worse, Chassaing says.

He is definitely going to vote, because he considers it a civic duty. However, Chassaing does not want to say which candidate is in favor.

– The biggest thing for me at the moment is the war in Ukraine. What has not happened in Europe since 1945 and there is a wide range of allegations about the candidates’ relations with Russia, which Chassaing does not always make sense of.

The newsstand table is full of publications adorned with the faces of Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. “A Moment of Fate,” reads one on the cover, “Why We Vote for Macron” in another.

Le Penin smiles gently in many pictures. A gentle smile is part of a new softer style that Le Pen has sought to appeal to new voters.

She has opened up in the pages of the magazine about her personal life and the discrimination she experienced as a woman in politics.

Le Pen has also talked about his tough childhood experiences, his singles and six cats. The brightly colored jackets have changed to soft pastel shades and the last name Le Pen has been erased from the election posters. “Marine as president,” they read.

According to Chassaing, Le Pen has managed to change its public image.

– Le Pen’s public image is no longer as negative as it was five years ago. Many are still skeptical about his party, but as a person, Le Pen has certainly succeeded in convincing new voters.

You can discuss this topic until 11pm on Sundays.