Two Islamic State extremists have been jailed after allegedly plotting to murder a French presidential candidate. Recent polls indicate that she will probably win the first run, but she will lose in the second runoff in May.
France's internal intelligence agency had warned the main candidates of a threat, campaign officials said.
Crowds danced on a Paris plaza as Socialist presidential candidate Benoit Hamon held what was seen as a last-chance rally and concert.
The two would make it to a run-off on May 7, with Macron seen as the likeliest eventual victor in the second round, but both candidates appeared to be losing steam in the last few days of a tightly-fought campaign ahead of the first April 23 ballot, according to the poll, based on a survey of 11,601 people. A defeat by Hamon could crush the party of unpopular Socialist President Francois Hollande, who chose not to seek a second term.
Le Pen dismissed as "folly" government statements that France, which has been subjected to multiple deadly attacks in recent years, must be prepared to live with the threat of terrorism. French police thwarted an imminent "terror attack", arresting two suspected radicals Tuesday April 18, 2017, in the southern port city of Marseille, the Interior Minister Matthias Fekl said during a brief news conference Tuesday.
Fillon had improved to 19.5 percent while Melenchon had reached 19 percent, narrowing the gap with the frontrunners.
Centrist Macron, the former protege of Francois Hollande, is now the bookies' favourite, with the average of the latest polls showing him leading Le Pen in the second round of voting. Hamon, the Socialist, trailed in fifth.
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Mr Macron met with the head of leading French Muslim group CFCM, Anouar Kbibech.
Some Muslims feel unfairly targeted by French laws banning headscarves in schools and full-face veils in public.
Also Wednesday, the Grand Mosque of Lyon issued an appeal urging Muslims to cast ballots instead of isolating themselves, "so that all the children of France, regardless of their skin color, their origins or their religion, are fully involved in the future of their country".
Le Pen, who has been pressing home her core message on stopping immigration in the past week, dropped by 2.5 percentage points to 22.5% of voting intentions compared with early April, and Macron fell 2 percentage points to 23% in the first round, Cevipof said.
"Terrorist acts have multiplied throughout Europe during the campaign", she said.
Accusing the European Union of taking away France's sovereignty and hurting its economy, she wants to pull France out of the European Union and the euro - which would devastate the bloc and badly disrupt financial markets.
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