Back-to-school season in France sees tighter rules on mobile phones

With summer vacation season concluding in France, the presidential election campaign to replace Emmanuel Macron next May is heating up. The unusually large and diverse field of candidates, each aiming to lead France, a major economic power and nuclear-armed member of the EU, is growing. However, some candidates may not have the support to qualify for the first round of voting on April 18.

Marine Le Pen, the far-right candidate, is seen as the frontrunner. If successful, her nationalist, anti-immigration National Rally party could take power, significantly impacting the EU. Her campaign is built on distancing herself from her father's extremist views and associations. With the ban on seeking elected office lifted, Le Pen is poised to participate in the decisive second round on May 2, making a Le Pen-Mélenchon runoff possible.

Other contenders include Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a far-left firebrand, and former Prime Ministers Edouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal. Marine Tondelier, an Ecologist, and Bruno Retailleau, a former Interior Minister, are also potential participants. As the campaign unfolds, the most likely outcome is a Le Pen victory, with a Mélenchon-Le Pen duel potentially shaping the election's outcome.