An online petition urging Barack Obama to stand in the French election has attracted more than 42,000 supporters.

 

一项呼吁奥巴马参与法国总统竞选的网络请愿活动已经得到了4.2万多人的支持。
 

 

Campaign posters reading "Oui, on peut" - a translation of the former US president's popular 2008 campaign slogan, "Yes, we can" - have appeared around Paris.

 

Mr Obama is not a French citizen and is thus ineligible¹ to run.

 

But those behind the prank² say the point is to highlight the lack of inspirational candidates.

 

Their message to the candidates, one of the organizers told the BBC, is: "Hey guys, you really don't make us dream."

 

French voters go to the polls on 23 April, and, unless one polls more than 50% in the first round, they will return on 7 May to decide between the two frontrunners.

 

A dominant³ figure in the campaign has been far-right leader Marine⁴ Le Pen, who has benefited from claims of financial wrongdoing which have swirled⁵ around the campaign of her centre-right rival Francois Fillon since late January, culminating last week in the announcement that a magistrate⁶ was launching a formal inquiry⁷ into the claims.

 

Current opinion polls give her a lead of several percentage points over Mr Fillon and centrist Emmanuel Macron - though both of her rivals are predicted to beat her in a two-way runoff.

 

Ms Le Pen may be backed by a greater number of French voters than ever, but her enduring toxicity⁸ for many of the rest means the campaign has been dominated by a negative message, say commentators⁹: How can we keep her out?

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