French voters head to the polls on Sunday for an election in France where cost-of-living and war in Ukraine dominate the political discussion.

The gap between incumbent President and current President is narrower according to opinion polls. Emmanuel MacronMarine Le Pen (far-right party leader), who is running for her third term. They are expected to contest the final round on April 24, which will be the second and last.

Following Russia’s invasion, Macron received a surge in support. French president Macron tried to negotiate diplomatic settlements with Moscow, Kyiv and Kyiv. While calling for a cease fire, he also instructed the EU to act against the Kremlin’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Macron last week said that the EU should ban Russian oil and coal. in the wake of atrocities in towns close to Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv. The EU then moved on to taking measures against Russian coal. They also began working towards limiting Russian oil.

But the war in Ukraine has also contributed to higher energy prices, on top of a broader spike in inflation — something that his opponent Marine Le Pen has leveraged in her campaign.

Le Pen’s focus has been on the high cost of living. She is trying to disengage herself from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Her campaign staff have denied reportsThey were told to dispose of thousands of leaflets, which included a picture of Le Pen and Putin.

“Macron still holds the pole position to win 24 April. His initial rise in ratings following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is now over. Le Pen exploited concerns about rising living costs to increase his popularity. In a Wednesday note, Berenberg’s analysts said that Macron and Le Pen may be neck-and–neck in terms of current trends.

Le Pen also dropped some other political positions In an effort to draw more moderate voters. For example, she is not pushing France to leave the European Union.

In addition, new presidential candidate Eric Zemmour has — because he is even more right wing — contributed to the softening of her image. Zemmour is also a hardliner on immigration and has focused his political rhetoric towards this issue.

Zemmour’s bid indicates that there is an even more extreme candidate from the far-right. “This might help Le Pen’s efforts ‘normalize” her figure, making her more accessible for certain segments of the centre-right electorate,” Antonio Barroso, managing director at Teneo said in Tuesday’s note.

Le Pen was also mentioned by he: “Her more professional campaign in 2017 is in fact marked with constant efforts to make it look less aggressive than before.”

It is estimated that the yield of France’s 10-yearInflation has caused concern about the economy and government bonds have risen in value since the beginning of the year. Last week, the benchmark rose as opinions polls indicated that Le Pen and Macron are closing in on each other.