Marine Le Pen launches presidential campaign with call for French ‘renaissance’

Le Pen, the National Rally’s leader and presidential candidate, delivered her first official campaign speech in the French city, according to reporting by France 24, Handelsblatt and Tagesschau. France 24 reported that the event was held during the second day of a National Rally party congress in Orléans.

In her address, Le Pen described the direction she is proposing for France as a “renaissance” and the beginning of a new era. France 24 reported that she also condemned what she called “Islamist ideologies” that promote violence, saying they were incompatible with France.

Her speech came as France 24 linked the campaign launch to unrest surrounding nationwide cost-of-living protests that had again turned violent. The same publication reported that about 10,000 supporters attended or were addressed at the event; that estimate was not independently quantified in the other supplied coverage.

The congress also provided an internal party setting for the campaign opening. France 24 reported that Jordan Bardella was being re-elected as National Rally leader during the gathering, although the supplied material does not establish the final result of that process.

The campaign is beginning with Le Pen portrayed in several reports as a leading candidate ahead of France’s 2027 presidential election. France 24, Tagesschau and POLITICO Europe described her as leading or being the frontrunner in polling, but the supplied coverage provides no polling figures or official electoral confirmation.

POLITICO Europe presented Le Pen as casting herself as a protector of France, while Handelsblatt reported that she needs to attract voters beyond the National Rally’s existing supporters. Those accounts describe her campaign positioning rather than demonstrating an electoral effect.