MOSCOW (Sputnik) — French presidential contender Emmanuel Macron was identified as the winner of the final election debate, with 63 percent of respondents saying he was more convincing than his rival, an Elabe poll showed Thursday.
The survey, commissioned by France’s BFMTV, found that only 34 percent of 1,314 viewers who watched the televised debate late Wednesday thought right-winger Marine Le Pen outshone her centrist challenger.
An opinion poll by a French newspaper, Le Figaro, suggested a similar result, with 64 percent of 24,300 respondents saying Macron projected a stronger image, and 36 percent siding with Le Pen.
The two candidate for the French presidency traded barbs on terrorism, immigration and France's place in the European Union and the world during their 154-minute debate, the last one before French voters go to the polls this Sunday.
