Marine Le Pen officially launched her campaign for the 2027 French presidential election in Orleans, telling thousands of supporters that she would lead a national "renaissance" as France grapples with widespread social and economic unrest. Speaking to an audience of 8,500 people, according to organizers, the far-right National Rally (RN) leader delivered her address against a backdrop of ongoing protests across the country.
Supporters waved French flags under red and blue lights and chanted "Marine présidente!" as Le Pen took the stage wearing a pink blazer. Leading in current polls ahead of candidates from the right, left, and center, Le Pen framed the upcoming election as a pivotal moment. "This is a story to be written, a destiny to be fulfilled," she told the cheering crowd, promising to "re-establish the rule of law." Manon Funeau, a 21-year-old business school student attending the rally, said the party's platform resonated with her, adding, "Honestly, I feel at home here."
The campaign launch comes during a period of sustained turmoil in France. A protest movement initially sparked in mid-September by high school students in a Paris suburb has expanded into nationwide demonstrations. Unrest reached a peak on October 17, when hundreds of thousands took to the streets, resulting in ransacked businesses and more than 2,000 arrests, followed by similar incidents on a smaller scale the following weekend. The RN has used the events to reinforce its law-and-order platform, accusing President Emmanuel Macron of security failures and alleging that far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon has encouraged the violence.
Rally attendees expressed deep concern over the direction of the country. Nadede, 56, who began voting for the RN in 2024 due to security concerns, said she felt France was "drifting off course" and viewed Le Pen as the only leader capable of restoring stability. The event took place under heavy security, with police checking passengers on trains from Paris and local authorities suspending public transit and closing businesses in Orleans. A day prior, roughly 3,000 police officers had been deployed to manage anti-RN counter-demonstrations in the city.
The choice of Orleans carried heavy historic symbolism for the party. The city is famous for Joan of Arc, the 15th-century heroine who lifted the English siege of Orléans in 1429. The French far right has long claimed Joan of Arc as a symbol of national identity and resistance against foreign influence, with Le Pen drawing parallels between the historical figure's mission and her political career. During the convention, the city's statue of Joan of Arc was cordoned off with security fencing.
Le Pen shared the stage with Eric Ciotti, mayor of Nice and president of the Union des Droites (UDR) parliamentary group, and Jordan Bardella, the 31-year-old president of the RN. Speaking before Le Pen, Bardella told the crowd, "No one should be intimidated by their political opinions." The event reflected the party's long-term strategy of dédiabolisation, or de-demonization, aimed at softening its image and broadening its appeal. The movement had long been associated with racism and anti-Semitism under Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, who was expelled from the party in 2015 after repeatedly describing Nazi gas chambers as "a detail of history."
The RN has expanded its voter base into working-class areas and former left-wing strongholds by pairing strict anti-immigration policies with promises to protect public services. Party membership has grown from under 37,000 in 2022 to approximately 112,000. Although the party no longer advocates for a "Frexit" or leaving the Eurozone, Le Pen's platform includes an annual 11-billion-euro ($12.3 billion) reduction in France's financial contribution to the European Union and a referendum to establish the primacy of French law over EU law regarding migration. Political analyst and historian Baptiste Roger-Lacan noted that joining the RN has become "less and less socially damaging," though he described the party's economic platform as "fraught with fiscal absurdity" and highlighted its pro-Russian and anti-EU diplomatic stance.
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