MAR 20, (DNA) -France’s leading presidential candidates will take part in the first live debate of the bitterly contested campaign on Monday night.

The confrontation, expected to take up a two and a half hour prime time television slot, will challenge the five first-round front runners to outline their programmes on social, economic and international issues.

Those taking part, in order of current polling popularity, will be Marine Le Pen, of the far-right Front National, Emmanuel Macron, of the centrist En Marche movement, François Fillon of the opposition right Les Républicains, Benoît Hamon, the official candidate for the Socialist party (PS), and hard-left Jean-Luc Mélenchon of La France Insoumise (Unbowed France).

Six other candidates officially accepted by the French constitutional council have not been invited but are expected to join a second debate nearer to the first-round vote at the end of April.

Two candidates will go through to a second-round vote a fortnight later. The presidential election will be followed shortly afterwards by legislative elections.

On Sunday, Hamon rose to the challenge of giving his presidential campaign the kiss of life with a rousing appeal to thousands of supporters.

At a packed Paris arena more accustomed to hosting entertainment’s great and good, he was given the reception normally reserved for pop stars.

The mostly young audience waved flags, cheered and leapt to its feet to whistle, cheer and chant: “Benoît, president.”

Hamon’s campaign team had hoped the event would attract at least 15,000 people in a show of strength, after a march organised by Mélenchon on Saturday reportedly drew more than 100,000.

France’s divided left looks set for defeat in first-round elections

In the end, the 20,000-capacity stadium was full and up to several thousand people watched the 90-minute address on a television screen outside.=DNA

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