Centrist Emmanuel Macron's bid for power in France gathered pace on Tuesday when he won support from a junior minister in the Socialist government while the interior minister resigned amid scandal in a new twist to the topsy-turvy presidential campaign. In addition to the endorsement from biodiversity minister Barbara Pompili, of the ecology party, Macron also won backing from Bernard Poignant, a close adviser to Hollande. Le Roux quit after financial prosecutors opened an inquiry into the allegations against him, although he insisted he did nothing wrong. Polls show that far right leader Marine Le Pen could come first in the April 23 first round, but would lose heavily to Macron in the runoff. Investors who had retreated to safe assets on worries that Le Pen would win the election and try to take France out of the euro sold low-risk euro zone government bonds on Tuesday, relieved by Macron's debate showing.

Source: The Star March 21, 2017 21:33 UTC