Marine Le Pen, France’s far-right National Rally (RN) candidate, launched her presidential campaign on Sunday, October 25, 2026, in Orléans, in the middle of weeks of cost-of-living protests and unrest. According to Al Jazeera, organisers said 8,500 supporters attended the event, held at a venue that had been transformed into a fort.
At the launch, Le Pen vowed to "restore the rule of law" if elected next year, according to The Hindu. She also pledged double borders, French and European, and said French nationality would become "a privilege that is either inherited or earned." The Hindu reported these remarks.
The launch came a day after large demonstrations. According to The Hindu, more than 400,000 people marched in major French cities on Saturday, October 24, 2026, against the rising cost of living. Clashes broke out after masked protesters split from the demonstrations, and police made more than 1,300 arrests. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez blamed much of the violence on "ultra-left" extremists, according to the same outlet. The 400,000 marcher figure and the 1,300 arrest figure come from The Hindu alone, and no independent count was cited.
Le Pen is the frontrunner in the polls. An Ipsos survey published October 24, 2026, suggested she would win 32 to 34 percent of first-round votes, according to The Hindu. That poll is cited by only one outlet and has not been confirmed by a second source.
The protests began in mid-September, when high school students in a Paris suburb sparked them, and they grew into a nationwide movement, according to Al Jazeera. On October 17, shops were looted and more than 2,000 people were arrested, Al Jazeera reported. Le Pen decided to run despite an appeals court upholding a graft conviction against her, according to The Hindu. Al Jazeera also reports that RN membership has nearly tripled to about 112,000, up from fewer than 37,000 in 2022.
The coverage does not include any response from Le Pen’s campaign or the government to the allegations and criticism reported. The outcome of talks between Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and high school student groups, scheduled for Monday, October 26, 2026, is not yet known.
Unions and Yellow Vest protesters have vowed to keep up street marches. The presidential election runs in April and May next year.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.