French press review 3 April 2017

French press sets the stage for Tuesday's make or mar Presidential debate, set to be attended by all 11 candidates.

With 20 days to go to the first round of French Presidential elections, the eyes of the press are on Tuesday night's "make or mar" debate involving all 11 candidates, the very first time all the candidates will have a chance to square off about why they want to become France's next leader.

Le Parisien says it expects the night to very long for Republican François Fillon and Socialist Benoit Hamon who will be without their smart phones as both face possible first round elimination, according to bad ratings in the polls.

Sud-Ouest  says it expects Emanuel Macron to be everyone's "whipping boy" as Republican and Socialist tacticians are bound to come swinging to discredit his excellent popularity rating and the frailty of his electorate.

"Nothing is yet decided", headlines right-wing Le Figaro. The right-wing publication sees the debate as a unique opportunity for Fillon to spring a surprise, as he struggles to take his campaign away from the fake jobs scandals.

Le Figaro makes a mockery of 'On the Move' party leader, Emmanuel Macron, who it claims, makes the race to the Elysée Palace look like an already done deal. But also commends the wise decision by some so-called "Macronians" who have "refused to count their chickens before they hatch".

On the eve of Tuesday's debate, Libération publishes a "lively exchange" it had with top advisers of the major candidates, comparing and contrasting their proposals on crucial issues like fiscal reform, job creation, debt servicing, public spending and economic recovery.

Today's Le Parisien has all voters need to know about the real size of France's civil service. The newspaper puts their numbers at 5.6 million, out of 28 million workers overall, in the country of 66.8 million inhabitants, citing INSEE figures.

Le Parisien says it expects Fillon to come under heavy fire from the leftist candidates over his plan to slash a massive 500,000 workers form the state pay roll in five years.

L'Humanité relays the disappointment of voters at the offer put forward by the candidates observing that the 40 per cent of eligible voters still undecided are unlikely to change their minds after Tuesday's debate, fueling fears of an unprecedented abstention rate.

L'Opinion also upholds the view that the political class has been unable to create a basic consensus and a diagnosis about the real state of the country from which to reinvent a common future for the French people.

And Les Echos deplores the situation facing voters who in three weeks will have to choose one of three Zeligs as France's next President: -- either Francois Fillon, Emmanuel Macron or Benoit Hamon. Zelig is the chameleon-like character in Woody Allen's 1983 American mockumentary film, who can look and act like whoever he's around.