Election debate marks normalisation of far-right politics in France

Analysis: 20 years on from Jean-Marie Le Pen's advance to second round, his daughter's detoxification' bears fruit

Throughout his forensic, if at times patronising, dismantling of Marine Le Pen's arguments during their nearly three-hour live TV debate on Wednesday night, there was one term that Emmanuel Macron never employed: far right".

In the opinion of most French commentators - and voters, 59% of whom found the incumbent a convincing presidential candidate, against 39% who said the same for the Rassemblement National (National Rally) leader - Macron won the clash.