France's allies on edge over far-right election challenge to Macron

FILE PHOTO: French Navy Rafale fighter jets stand parked onboard the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, off the shore of the Faliro suburb, in Athens, Greece, March 24, 2022. Picture taken through glass. REUTERS/Costas Baltas/Pool/File Photo

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Far-right leader Marine Le Pen looks unlikely to win France's presidential election, but many western allies fear an upset on Sunday that could jolt the international order no less than the 2016 vote for Brexit and Donald Trump's White House victory.

While opinion polls point to a win for President Emmanuel Macron in the run-off ballot, Le Pen's slim chance of beating him prompted the leaders of Germany, Portugal and Spain this week to warn French voters in a joint op-ed against "a candidate who stands with those attacking our liberty and democracy".