France's Le Pen strives to build on ratings boost to further detoxify her image

Le Pen, whom Macron easily beat with two thirds of the votes five years ago, has got so close that who will win in a likely run-off on April 24 is now within the margin of error, an opinion poll showed on Monday.

Since her resounding 2017 defeat, Le Pen has patiently worked on softening her image, striving to appear as a potential leader rather than a radical anti-system opponent.

Polls show this has worked, with one saying the once vilified candidate has become the second most-liked politician in the country, something long thought impossible in France.

"I always try to have the most reasonable view possible, and one that defends the interest of France," Le Pen said in an interview with France Inter radio, spelling out her views on topics ranging from foreign policy to climate change.

The 53-year-old started her campaign early, with mostly small-scale meetings in small towns, at a time when voters say they want candidates to be close to them.

She pointed the finger on Tuesday at what has increasingly worried some of Macron's aides -- his late start to a rather lacklustre campaign which even supporters at his only major pre-first round rally said was underwhelming.

"I have been campaigning seriously, I've been in the field for six months ... others chose not to campaign, including the president of the Republic," Le Pen said.

For sure, Le Pen, who has taken great pains over recent months to stress her love of cats more than her anti-immigration views, has not changed the core of her far-right party's programme.

She would end a number of welfare benefits for foreigners, stop family reunification, give preference to the French for jobs and social housing, ban the hijab in public spaces and kick unemployed foreigners out of France. Read full story

She defended those views on Tuesday.

"Being French should give you more rights than being a foreigner," she said.

But this is not what she has focused on in a campaign pegged on purchasing power, which has struck a chord with a number of voters.