FRANCE – Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, the frontrunner in France’s 2027 presidential election, formally launched her campaign on Oct 25 with a pledge to restore order, security and national confidence.
Addressing supporters in Orleans, the home city of 15th-century national heroine Joan of Arc, Le Pen portrayed herself as best placed to lead France through what she described as mounting economic, social and security crises.
“We are not living through the end of the world but the end of a world, their world,” she said of her political opponents.
Le Pen promised “zero tolerance” policing, saying restoring security was the state’s first duty. Her campaign launch followed mass protests over living costs and inequality last weekend, which descended into looting and vandalism.
The unrest has strengthened her position. An opinion poll published on Oct 25 placed her at 32 per cent to 33.5 per cent, well ahead of hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon at 17 per cent, as voters move away from mainstream parties toward the political extremes. Surveys suggest she would comfortably defeat Melenchon in a run-off expected in early May.
Framing her message around a national “Renaissance,” Le Pen said France would emerge stronger from its current upheaval by embracing security, prosperity and renewal.
“We say: ‘Things were good before, they will be better tomorrow!’,” she said.
She pledged a hard line on immigration, including restoring border controls, automatically expelling foreign criminals and cracking down on gangs and drug traffickers.
Le Pen also promised spending restraint, lower business taxes, reduced bureaucracy and greater support for industry, innovation and artificial intelligence. She rejected further increases in the retirement age.
The congress was intended to display unity within the National Rally party. Jordan Bardella was re-elected party president and presented as Le Pen’s choice for prime minister. His speech was interrupted by activists from a Jewish student union, drawing attention to accusations that he made antisemitic remarks in his youth, which he denies.
Le Pen has spent more than a decade reshaping the party she inherited from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, in 2011, seeking to soften its image and broaden its appeal beyond its traditional anti-immigration base.
On Europe, she stopped short of calling for France to leave the European Union but pledged to reduce Brussels’ influence, restore national control over borders and laws, and prioritise French interests, including avoiding foreign wars.
“The future belongs to us,” she said, before leading the flag-waving crowd in singing the French national anthem. Le Pen could still be required to campaign while wearing an ankle tag following her conviction for embezzling European Parliament funds. She is appealing the verdict.