Could Le Pen win the French election? The Post answers your questions.

French President Emmanuel Macron will face off against challenger Marine Le Pen on April 24. If elected, Le Pen will become the first far-right French president in the nation’s history. (Jonathan Alpeyrie/Bloomberg News) (Jonathan Alpeyrie/Bloomberg News)

Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron finished on top in the first round of the presidential election. But far-right leader Marine Le Pen came in a close second, setting up a competitive runoff election on April 24.

Macron’s supporters are unnerved; predictions show Macron may edge out Le Pen later this month by as little as four to six percentage points. The incumbent centrist trounced Le Pen by more than 30 percentage points in the 2017 presidential runoff.

Washington Post data scientist Lenny Bronner and Paris correspondent Rick Noack responded to reader questions. Here are some of those questions:

• How can Macron win the crucial support of France’s left-wing voters?
• Are Le Pen’s ideas becoming mainstream?
• How has Macron’s campaigning changed?

Read the Q&A below.

Looking for more? Read some of our recent coverage:

• Why his ‘city of heart’ does not love Macron back
• How Marine Le Pen moderated her image and brought herself closer to the French presidency
• Will France elect its first far-right president?

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Sammy Westfall, an assistant editor on the foreign desk, and Olivia McCormack, a newsroom copy aide, produced this Q&A.