The presidential race in France appears to close to call, motivating the front-runners for the country's top job to court the undecided voters, which make up 40% of the voting public, according to the latest polls.
The latest public opinion surveys show center-right candidate Nicolas Sarkozy taking the lead against Socialist Segolene Royal in the first round of voting on Sunday.
In a run-off between the two, Sarkozy is tipped to edge to victory.
But Francois Bayrou, who aims to bridge the divide between the two traditional opposites and has positioned himself as a third alternative, would win against either if he makes it to the second round of voting, the same polls forecast.
Right-wing hardliner Jean-Marie Le Pen is fourth in the polls and seems unlikely to storm into the run-off stage, as he surprisingly did in 2002.