Pensions become battleground for Macron, Le Pen in French poll

Uncertainty over the proposed divisive reform of France's pension system has emerged as a key battleground between incumbent leader Emmanuel Macron and rival Marine Le Pen, as the pair go head-to-head in the second round of the country's presidential election, which takes place on April 24.

The duo, who fought out the second round five years ago with Macron winning by a margin of 66.1 percent to Le Pen's 33.9 percent, emerged as the top two candidates from the first round of voting last weekend. However, domestic and global political landscapes have changed so much since 2017 that many observers and opinion polls are predicting a much closer fight this time.

Centrist Macron is looking to become the first incumbent since Jacques Chirac in 2002 to be reelected. And in this year's first round, he won 27.6 percent of the vote, the highest first-round score by an incumbent president since Francois Mitterrand in 1998. Far-right favorite Le Pen won 23 percent, with farleft candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon coming in a close third at 22.2 percent.

Public opposition to the planned reform of France's generous retirement system, which allows workers to quit at the age of 62, was one of the motivations for the yellow vests protest movement, before the issue was put to one side because of the pandemic.

Since the first round of voting, Macron has appeared to moderate his stance, saying "I am ready to change the timeline and say we don't necessarily have to do a reform by 2030 if I feel that people are too anxious". He added that he was ready to "open the door" on changing the retirement age from its current 62 to 64, as opposed to his initial suggestion of 65.

But with so many votes now up for grabs, Le Pen dismissed Macron's suggestion as a "maneuver" and said he would revert to his initial plan if reelected.

"There is nothing to expect here from Emmanuel Macron. He will go all the way to the end with obsession, because it's a reality that the minimum (retirement) age of 65 is his obsession," said Le Pen.

Manuel Bompard, the head of the campaign of Melenchon, said he did not agree with Macron's or Le Pen's retirement proposals.

"I tell Macron this: If he really wants to appeal to our voters … he has to make a clear commitment," he said.

Agencies contributed to this story.