Macron, Le Pen kick off final week with major Paris rallies

Bloomberg

Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron kick off the final week of the French presidential campaign with major rallies in Paris after weekend sparring on subjects ranging from the euro to the environment.
With a week to go in the campaign, Le Pen appeared to step back from her single most distinct policy, saying on Saturday that there was no rush on a euro exit. Then Sunday, in an interview with Le Parisien newspaper, she said “the euro is dead” and that she still wants to have two currencies — one for daily use by the population and one for international trade. The key change she has made is to make the timing of a referendum on the matter less urgent, to help her win the backing of Nicolas Dupont Aignon, who had just under 5 percent of the vote in the first round of the election.
“Le Pen is trying to reassure people on the euro,” said Bruno Cautres, a political scientist at SciencesPo in Paris. “But ultimately people perceive her as the anti-European candidate. This may win her a few votes by showing that she is pragmatic but fundamentally it’s unlikely to change anything.”