French President Emmanuel Macron will face Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader, in the runoff of the French presidential election on April 24

 

President Emmanuel Macron of France will face Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader, in the runoff of the French presidential election on April 24.

The two candidates advanced to the second round of voting on Sunday — Mr. Macron with 27.85 percent of the vote, and Ms. Le Pen with 23.15 percent — after a muted campaign that was largely overshadowed by the war in Ukraine.

For weeks, Mr. Macron was accused of trying to use his diplomatic prominence to cruise into a second term without debating his opponents over domestic issues. Now, though, he is entering a new and decisive phase of the campaign, one that will require him to directly face voters concerned about the cost of living and his plans to raise the legal retirement age.

Mr. Macron and Ms. Le Pen faced off in France’s last presidential election, in 2017. Then, Mr. Macron won nearly two-thirds of the vote, but polls predict the race will be much closer this time.