French Prime Minister says Macron's win not guaranteed

JOEL SAGET, ERIC FEFERBERG AFP PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron's lead in Voting intention polls widened on Tuesday but his prime minister said a Macron win in Sunday's presidential runoff vote was not guaranteed, as far-right challenger Marine Le Pen accused him of fear-mongering.

Three polls for the second round put Macron at the highest level since before the first round, with an average score of 55.83 percent, up more than a point from Friday and more than three points from an average of five polls before the first round.

Prime Minister Jean Castex said it was too early to claim victory.

Castex said on France Inter that the game is not done and dusted.

In an Ipsos poll, Macron won 56.5 percent of the vote, up half a point from Friday and 3.5 points from April 8, two days before the second round of elections in which Macron and Le Pen qualified for the second round.

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The polls by Opinionway and Ifop show Macron with his highest share of voting intentions since before the first-round vote on April 10.

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told Europe 1 radio that Le Pen would hand over France's sovereignty to Vladimir Putin and Russia if she was elected.

In the past, Le Pen expressed admiration for the Russian president and said she would pull France out of NATO's integrated military command.

Le Maire said that a Le Pen victory would mean the end of French sovereignty, an alliance with Putin, a lack of NATO protection and severed ties with Germany.

In a campaign video, Le Pen accused Macron and his allies of snooping on her and her allies of frightening citizens into voting against her.

ALSO READ: Macron, Le Pen battle on cost of living in runoff campaign.

Macron is aware of his sombre hopes of winning a second term, but he has turned to blackmail because of fear. She said that fear is the president's only remaining argument.

Despite the fact that he came third in the first round, Macron and Le Pen are trying to attract voters who backed far-left leader Jean Luc Melenchon.

Melenchon's party has not given any voting instructions for the runoff, but Melenchon has called on his followers not to vote for Le Pen.

Melenchon reiterated his call in his first televised interview since the first round.

If you vote for Mrs Le Pen, you will make a colossal mistake. "I don't tell you to vote for Macron, search inside your heads what's best, but don't do this," he told BFM TV.

Melenchon said that he would focus on the legislative election this summer in order to form a left-wing majority and become the country's prime minister.

Melenchon said that he would be prepared to work with both Macron and Le Pen as presidents and that he had no clear preference between the two.

The Prime Minister in France, who is appointed by the president, has to control a majority in the National Assembly.

According to an Elabe poll released on Tuesday, 42 percent of Melenchon's voters are ready to give their vote to Macron, up 7 percent from last week.