Marine Le Pen has made a strong start to her presidential campaign in France — Reuters

Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right party, officially launched her election campaign on October 25, promising to restore order and trust in the country. According to the data cited, the National Rally lawmaker is leading the presidential race by a wide margin.

 

Amid one of the most turbulent periods in recent years, with France gripped by protests and street unrest, Marine Le Pen stated that she is the best person to overcome, in her words, economic and social crises and security challenges that are gaining momentum.

“We do not live at the edge of the world, but at the edge of one of the worlds—their world,” she said of her political opponents.

Le Pen chose to deliver her first campaign speech in Orléans, the birthplace of Joan of Arc, the 15th-century warrior heroine whom nationalists revere as a symbol of patriotism and sovereignty.

Addressing a crowd of her supporters, she promised to pursue a policy of “zero tolerance” and declared that restoring security is the state’s primary duty.

Mass protests against the rising cost of living and inequality, which took place last weekend, escalated into looting and vandalism.

The street riots, along with the looting and vandalism, gave Le Pen a boost, and a public opinion poll published on Sunday showed that her approval rating stands at 32% versus 33.5%, putting her well ahead of her closest rival, far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who has 17%.

Polls indicate that she will easily defeat Mélenchon in the second round of the election, which is expected to take place in early May.

Seeking to instill optimism, Le Pen structured her speech around the theme of national “renewal.” She stated that France is going through a period of upheaval but will emerge stronger if it embraces her vision of security, prosperity, and renewal.

“We say, ‘Everything was good before, and tomorrow will be even better!’” she said.

Le Pen promised to take a hard line on immigration policy, declaring her intention to restore border controls, automatically deport foreign criminals, and crack down on gangs and drug traffickers.

Le Pen herself may be forced to campaign while wearing an electronic ankle monitor after being found guilty of embezzling funds from the European Parliament. She plans to appeal the court’s ruling.

On the economic front, Le Pen has promised to curb spending, lower taxes for businesses, cut red tape, and support industry, innovation, and artificial intelligence. She has rejected the idea of further raising the retirement age.

The goal of the convention was to demonstrate unity within the leadership of the National Rally party, where Le Pen’s protégé, Jordan Bardella, was reelected party president and presented as its candidate for prime minister.

Regarding Europe, Le Pen refrained from directly calling for France’s exit from the European Union, but stated that she would weaken Brussels’ influence, restore national control over borders and laws, and put France’s interests first—in particular, by avoiding wars abroad.

Source: Reuters

Earlier, protests broke out in France against Marine Le Pen’s party convention.

Marine Le Pen could win the French presidential election by a wide margin, according to a poll.

An IFOP poll showed that Marine Le Pen leads in all scenarios analyzed for the French presidential election. In the first round, the National Rally candidate could receive between 34% and 38% of the vote, regardless of who represents the centrist bloc.