French presidential race revs up with rival rallies

PanARMENIAN.Net - France's tense presidential race is colliding with May Day labor marches in a campaign dominated by worries over jobs and seen as a test of populism's global appeal, The Associated Press reports.

Less than a week before Sunday's runoff, far-right leader Marine Le Pen and centrist Emmanuel Macron are holding separate rallies Monday, May 1.

But Le Pen's efforts to clean up her National Front party's anti-Semitic image could be undermined by a parallel Paris event by her father, Jean-Marie, expelled from the party over his extreme views.

Meanwhile, the traditional May 1 union marches across France celebrating workers' rights will be politically charged this year. Some groups want a united front to keep Le Pen from the presidency, but unions fear Macron will dismantle worker protections.