With less than four weeks to go ahead of the first round of voting in the French presidential election, we check in on the campaign with contemporary history and politics lecturer Andrew Smith. He explains that Emmanuel Macron's choice not to participate in a debate ahead of the first round is right in line with his strategy to stay above the fray. Meanwhile, right-wing candidate Valérie Pécresse and far-right Eric Zemmour face off in a televised debate hoping to revive their flagging campaigns.

Presidential elections happen all over the world, but France has its own, unique way of doing things. While there's always some suspense around who will end up in the Élysée Palace, there are some pretty clear rules about getting there: whether it's campaign financing, how much media access the candidates get and how the vote happens on election day. In this episode of French Connections Plus, Florence Villeminot and Genie Godula take a closer look at the protocol governing the French presidential election.

Two weeks from now, France will know who is into the second round of the presidential election. The candidates will then enter a crucial final two-week period when the gloves are expected to come off in the battle to win votes. This weekend saw a last-ditch attempt by far-right pundit Eric Zemmour to win back support after losing momentum. Meanwhile, the far left’s Jean-Luc Mélenchon is rising in the polls but incumbent Emmanuel Macron, the favourite to win, remains well ahead. Andrew Smith of Chichester University spoke to us about where the campaign stands.

Concerns are growing over rising insecurity in Somalia as the Horn of Africa nation edges closer to a much-delayed presidential election. Al-Shabab militants have warned they will target politicians.

Just over a week before the first round of voting, candidates for France's presidential election are campaigning on marketplaces across France. The so-called smaller candidates are trying to close the gap with the top contenders. FRANCE 24's Campaign Commentator Philip Turle tells us why Marine Le Pen has been eating into Emmanuel Macron's lead in the polls. Plus, our reporters dive into the world of French Trotskyists.

Just over a week before the first round of voting, candidates for France's presidential election are campaigning on marketplaces across France. The so-called smaller candidates are trying to close the gap with the top contenders. FRANCE 24's Campaign Commentator Philip Turle tells us why Marine Le Pen has been eating into Emmanuel Macron's lead in the polls. Plus, our reporters dive into the world of French Trotskyists.

With the first round of voting in France's presidential election now only six days away, we explore latest the twists and turns of the campaign trail with Andrew Smith, a professor of contemporary French history at the University of Chichester. He unpicks incumbent Emmanuel Macron's rock star-style rally at the La Défense arena over the weekend, which aimed at reassuring undecided voters on both the centre left and centre right. We also discuss the chances of Macron's historic far-right rival Marine Le Pen, who's led a low-key campaign and could benefit from high abstention.

In a special edition, we look closely at the two presidential candidates, Emmanuel Macron and the far-right’s Marine Le Pen to see where they both stand when it comes to promoting equality. Annette Young talks to Megan Clement, the editor of the Impact newsletter on gender and politics on why women's rights have failed to make the radar so far in this election campaign. Also #MeToo in the world of French politics and the dire need to end a climate of sexism and sexual harassment.

With less than a week to go before France's presidential run-off, French papers explain why the "republican front" against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is looking increasingly fragile, especially in the overseas departments of Martinique and Guadeloupe. We also take an in-depth look at Le Pen's foreign policy proposals. We finish with an Easter special on why chocolate eggs seem to taste so much better than chocolate bars.

With the second round of voting in the French presidential election just days away, we explore the latest twists and turns in the campaign trail with Andrew Smith, a professor of contemporary French history at Chichester University. He unpicks President Emmanuel Macron's last-gasp bid to convince supporters of defeated leftist Jean-Luc Mélenchon to vote for him, if only to keep the far right out of the Élysée Palace. We also discuss Marine Le Pen's pledge to ban the Muslim hijab in public. Smith tells us it's an attempt to fire up her base – but does it risk alienating more moderate voters?

With three days to go before the second and final round of the French presidential election, it's time for our final show. We focus on the traditional highlight of the campaign: the fiery debate between the finalists. The incumbent was anxious not to appear condescending, while Marine Le Pen tried to reassure voters that she could be presidential. Our reporters followed both candidates on their last stops of the campaign trail. Plus, FRANCE 24's Karina Chabour explores what heartbroken left-wing voters might decide to do on Sunday.

Former dictator's son Ferdinand Marcos Jr., also known as "Bongbong," is widely expected to defeat current Vice President Leni Robredo in the presidential race. Grenade attacks were reported at two polling booths.