Only a few weeks ago, the planets seemed to be aligning exceptionally well for Marine Le Pen, the far-right candidate in the French presidential race. Analysts were joking that she didn’t even have to campaign – events like the police investigating front-runner François Fillon were doing it for her.

Now, come polling day Sunday, even though Le Pen is expected to reach her highest vote count ever, there are fewer smiles on her team, and the radical change of tone in her latest speeches leaves the unmistakable impression of a growing nervousness at the end of the campaign.

What happened?

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