Marine Le Pen vows French ‘renaissance’ as far right eyes seat of power

The far-right figure's words were met with cheers from thousands of supporters gathered in Orleans in central France. Organizers said 8,500 supporters had gathered in a venue transformed into a fort for the event. Standing tall on stage in a pink blazer, her hair impeccably coiffed, Le Pen spoke with the confidence of a leader who believes the presidency is within reach.

Riding high in the polls, with candidates from the right, left and centre trailing behind her, she presented the election as a historic opportunity to restore France's past glory. "This is a story to be written, a destiny to be fulfilled," she told the crowd, which erupted in cheers.

Her pitch was a promise to restore authority and security in a country she portrayed as having lost control. "We are going to re-establish the rule of law," she said, drawing loud applause from supporters wearing "Marine présidente" T-shirts.

Protests and Opportunity

Le Pen's speech comes as the country is at a crossroads. France has been shaken by a wave of protests since mid-September, a movement sparked by high school students in a Paris suburb that grew into nationwide mobilization tapping into widespread discontent.

On October 17, shops were looted and ransacked, and more than 2,000 people were arrested as hundreds of thousands took to the streets of French cities. The unrest has given Le Pen's National Rally an opportunity to present itself as the guarantor of law and order.

Symbolic Location

Orleans was no casual choice for the rally. For a party that has long sought to cast itself as the guardian of French identity and national sovereignty, the city is inseparable from the story of Joan of Arc, the 15th-century heroine who helped lift the English siege of Orléans in 1429.

The city had been brought to a near standstill for the event, with all businesses shut and public transport suspended. A day earlier, about 3,000 police officers had been deployed to prevent unrest as anti-RN protesters gathered against what they say is a xenophobic and racist party.

Party Transformation

The crowd at the RN Congress offered a glimpse of how the party has expanded its appeal to a wider section of society: from young people from urban centres to middle-class workers who used to vote for the centrist party. The party's membership has nearly tripled, with approximately 112,000 members now paying their dues, up from fewer than 37,000 in 2022.

Marine Le Pen has sought to broaden RN's appeal, combining restrictive immigration policies with promises of social protection. While RN has long abandoned some of its most radical proposals, including leaving the Eurozone, the election of such a eurosceptic to the helm of the European Union's second-largest economy would send shockwaves.

Unity Message

Jordan Bardella, Le Pen's second-in-command and protégé, also spoke at the event. "No one should be intimidated by their political opinions," he said, speaking ahead of his mentor. The party has faced recent challenges, including allegations that Bardella had expressed anti-Semitic views in private messages, which he denied.

"Marine president – a Bardella government" was the slogan projected at the Congress, presenting unity as Le Pen launched her presidential bid and Bardella positioned himself as her prospective head of government. The upcoming elections will test whether this unity can translate into victory for the far-right movement.