Le Pen opens French presidential campaign with crime and border pledges

Marine Le Pen opened her campaign for France’s 2027 presidential election with a speech promising a tough response to crime and a return to strict border controls, according to a report by ANP and AFP published by Nieuws.nl.

Speaking at a National Rally (RN) party conference in Orléans on Saturday, Le Pen said she would restore the rule of law. She pointed to people who had looted and set fire to buildings, and asked: “Who can claim that there is still a rule of law when hordes of people come to loot and burn our buildings?”

The report said she was referring to unrest in France the previous week. It did not provide details of her proposed criminal justice measures or explain what the promised border controls would involve.

Le Pen’s speech came as the RN gathered for its party congress in Orléans. The [congress re-elected party president Jordan Bardella unopposed](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/politics/article/2026/10/25/rassemblement-national-holds-tense-but-predictable-party-congress-in-orleans_6763759_5.html); Le Monde reported that he received 98.98% of the vote.

Le Pen had been barred from standing after a fraud conviction, but France’s Court of Appeal reduced her sentence in July, making her eligible to run in the first round, according to Le Monde. The first round is due in April 2027.