{O/C} To French politics and French President Emmanuel Macron clashed with his far-right opponent, Marine Le Pen, during a televised debate.
While Macron accused Le Pen of her close ties with Russia and stripping Muslim women of their right to don headscarves, Le Pen responded in kind.
{Take SOT}
In the run-up to the run-off on April 24th, the incumbent French President and his far-right nemesis, Marine Le Pen, crossed swords during a heated TV debate on Wednesday.
{Upsound 00:15 - 00:16}
Macron took the kid gloves off and picked a fight, accusing Le Pen of being dependent on Russia, citing her loan from a Czech-Russian bank.
He also claimed Le Pen's anti-immigration as well as anti-headscarf stance was bound to spark "civil war" in a deeply-riven France in which the largest Muslim population in western Europe is domiciled.
{Upsound 00:47 - 00:49}
The clash came to a boil when Le Pen fought fire with fire. She portrayed wearing headscarves in public as a "uniform imposed by Islamists."
Macron retorted, saying such a plan contradicted France's secular rules.
Sniffing at Macron's accusations, Le Pen confirmed she would halt the "anarchic and massive" immigration into France if elected, saying it would aggravate crime.
The far-right party leader sought to sway undecided voters grappling with ever-ballooning prices, though she sometimes came to grief, pinned down with economic figures.
It was a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black as Le Pen described Macron as the culprit of dividing every stratum of France's society, citing the fierce Yellow Vest demonstrations over the years that rocked the boat.
While Macron went on to castigate Le Pen for being a climate sceptic, she branded the incumbent president a "climate hypocrite."
Polls suggest that Macron, a pro-European centrist, has a booming and influential lead. But a more nail-biting run-off is par for the course given both candidates are jousting control via votes from those who supported neither in the first round.
In it, Macron nabbed over 27 percent of the vote, with Le Pen's at just under 24 percent.
And in another boost to Macron, jailed Russian dissident Alexei Navalny backed Macron, alleging that Le Pen is too close with Russia.
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