Paris — French centrist Emmanuel Macron and his far-right presidential rival Marine Le Pen clashed over terrorism, the economy and Europe Wednesday in a bad-tempered TV debate that laid bare their profoundly different visions for the country. The duel ahead of Sunday’s election was billed as a confrontation between Macron’s call for openness and pro-market reforms and Le Pen’s France-first nationalism. The tone was set in the opening minutes, with Le Pen branding the former economy minister and investment banker "the candidate of the elite" and the "darling of the system". Macron replied that Le Pen, the 48-year-old scion of the National Front party, was "the heir of a system which has prospered from the fury of the French people for decades", adding: "You play with fear." The 39-year-old frequently branded Le Pen a liar and even a "parasite of the system", who he said lived off the frustrations of France’s blocked political system. On Europe, Le Pen accused Macron of being "submiss...
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