Marine Le Pen launches presidential campaign with vow to restore ‘rule of law’
Marine Le Pen Opens 2027 Presidential Bid in Orléans
Poinews.com – Marine Le Pen began her presidential campaign in Orléans on Saturday, presenting the 2027 election as a choice between continuity and a sharp political shift. Speaking to several thousand supporters of the Rassemblement National, she argued that France needs stronger public authority, tighter borders and a renewed emphasis on national identity.
Le Pen, whose National Rally party is known by its French initials RN, is leading opinion polls with six months remaining before the vote. Her first major campaign meeting focused on security, immigration, justice and sovereignty — themes that have long been central to her political platform.
“No one thinks we are stronger today than we were yesterday, nor that after ten years of Emmanuel Macron we are walking through a field of rose petals,” Le Pen said.
She described the change she wants to bring as a democratic correction rather than a rupture with the country’s institutions. In her address, Le Pen said France needed “a alteration of course,” calling it “not a revolutionary act but a normal breath of democratic life.”
Security and the justice system at the centre of the speech
A substantial part of Le Pen’s speech targeted the government’s handling of public order and criminal justice. She accused Emmanuel Macron’s administration of allowing the justice system to become too lenient and said many French people no longer feel sufficiently protected.
Her remarks referred to looting and confrontations that occurred on 17 October at the edges of demonstrations over the rising cost of living. Le Pen portrayed those incidents as evidence of a weakening state and of law-enforcement officers being left without adequate support.
“Who can claim there is a rule of law when hordes come to ransack and burn our buildings, or carry out real raids in front of law-enforcement officers who have been deliberately disarmed, both materially and morally?” she said.
Le Pen said her proposed approach would ensure that prosecutions are pursued and sentences are enforced. She also repeated her commitment to expel foreign nationals convicted of offences. Her campaign is likely to continue framing security policy as an issue connected not only to crime, but also to confidence in public institutions.
She challenged what she sees as an overly broad interpretation of legal protections, arguing that the rule of law should not become “the law against the state.” The phrase reflected her broader message that government must be able to act decisively to preserve order while remaining accountable to voters.
Identity, borders and national priority
Supporters gathered at the Orléans convention centre waved French flags as Le Pen spoke about protecting the country’s language, traditions, values and way of life. She said these elements form part of France’s cultural identity and should be defended through public policy.
On immigration and sovereignty, Le Pen again promoted the principle of “national priority,” an idea that would place French citizens first in areas of public policy. She also called for what she termed a “double border,” combining French national controls with a European border.
The proposal fits within the sovereigntist line that has defined her campaign. It seeks to make border policy a symbol of political control at both the national and European levels, while underscoring the National Rally’s argument that France should retain greater authority over its own decisions.
Foreign policy message
Le Pen also addressed military engagement abroad, though she did not directly name Ukraine. She said France should not send young people into what she called reckless or irresponsible military operations, particularly conflicts that she argued do not belong to France.
France “will not send” its young people “to die in reckless or irresponsible military adventures, and even less in wars that are not ours,” she said.
The statement added an international dimension to a rally otherwise dominated by domestic concerns. It also reinforced Le Pen’s effort to present her campaign as one based on national independence and caution over foreign military commitments.
Bardella attacks government and left-wing opposition
Jordan Bardella, the National Rally’s president, introduced Le Pen and used his own speech to sharply criticise the government’s response to recent unrest. He said the country had been led by a political power that had abandoned the duty to protect its citizens.
“The French have seen a power that has fallen, that has given up, that has abdicated even the idea of protecting our compatriots,” Bardella said.
He argued that the RN had become the only political force able to restore order and authority. When audience members began chanting “Macron, resign,” Bardella answered by saying the president’s departure was already planned and would come soon.
Bardella also criticised La France Insoumise and its leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon. He accused the hard-left party of encouraging unrest through its support for the high-school students’ movement and wider social mobilisation, saying this made it unfit to seek the country’s highest offices.
Protest during Bardella’s appearance
His address was briefly disrupted when activists linked to the Union of French Jewish Students unfurled a banner referring to allegations that antisemitic messages had been removed from an old Facebook account. The banner stated: “Bardella re-elected: racism and antisemitism do not bother the RN, quite the opposite.”
Bardella responded by asking the audience not to give attention to “the far left, which hates democracy,” and called for the Marseillaise to be sung while security personnel dealt with the incident. The circumstances surrounding the interruption were not immediately clear.
The protest referred to allegations published by Mediapart involving messages attributed to Bardella when he was 18. He rejects those accusations.
The Orléans rally followed the National Rally’s party congress, which was held under heavy police protection. Bardella, the only candidate for the leadership, was reconfirmed as party president with 98.98% of the vote. He had previously been seen as a possible presidential contender should Le Pen’s conviction over the misuse of funds linked to European Parliament assistants have prevented her from standing.
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