Marine Le Pen formally launches French presidential campaign in Orléans

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, the frontrunner in next year’s French presidential election, formally launched her campaign on Sunday in Orléans, promising to restore order and national confidence.

Addressing cheering supporters in Joan of Arc’s city, Le Pen promised “zero tolerance” policing and said restoring security was the state’s first duty, building her speech around the theme of a national “Renaissance”. “We are not living through the end of the world but the end of a world, their world,” she said.

On the economy, Le Pen pledged spending restraint, lower business taxes, reduced bureaucracy and support for industry and artificial intelligence, and rejected further increases in the retirement age. On immigration, she promised to restore border controls, automatically expel foreign criminals and crack down on gangs and drug traffickers. On Europe, she stopped short of advocating a French exit from the European Union, but said she would roll back Brussels’ influence, restore national control over borders and laws, and avoid foreign wars.

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 over accusations he made antisemitic comments in his youth, which he denies.

An opinion poll published on Sunday put Le Pen on 32% to 33.5%, well ahead of hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon on 17%, with a run-off expected in early May. Le Pen is appealing her conviction for embezzling European Parliament funds, and could have to campaign wearing an ankle tag.

Sources: Reuters via WNCY (https://wncy.com/2026/10/25/frances-le-pen-launches-presidential-bid-as-protests-rattle-the-nation/) and Daily Maverick (https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-10-25-frances-le-pen-launches-presidential-bid-as-protests-rattle-the-nation/); Euronews scan lead (https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/25/marine-le-pen-launches-presidential-campaign-with-vow-to-restore).