Attack on police in Paris puts early end to French campaigning
All candidates canceled events for Friday, with one saying they won’t cede to ‘panic’; in tight election, France is ‘in for profound’ political and economic change
Paris — The murder of a policeman on the Champs-Elysées has forced an early end to campaigning for the leading candidates in France’s presidential election as they head into Sunday’s first-round of voting with the race wide open. Republican François Fillon, the National Front’s Marine Le Pen, centrist Emmanuel Macron, and socialist Benoît Hamon all canceled events planned for Friday. Communist-backed Jean-Luc Mélenchon said he wouldn’t cede to "panic" and will continue with his plans for the day. No campaigning is allowed on Saturday. Mélenchon and Fillon head into the first round hoping to snatch a place in the May 7 run-off from front-runners Le Pen and Macron after polls tightened during the last weeks. Thursday evening’s attack, which left one policeman dead and two others injured, could change the dynamic of the race once more, according to Bruno Jeanbart, head of political studies at pollster OpinionWay. "I think this election is sufficiently unstable that it could still move ...
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