Le Pen pledges to put French citizens first at presidential campaign launch

Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader, has launched her presidential campaign in France, telling supporters that she would ensure French citizens have more rights than foreigners if she wins the election. According to the South China Morning Post, Le Pen stated that under her presidency, French people would "have priority in their own country", regardless of their skin colour, religion, or origin.

This policy, known as "national priority", would apply to areas such as housing, with French citizens receiving preferential access to social housing.

Le Pen made these comments at a rally in the northern town of Henin-Beaumont, attended by around 2,000 supporters. The event marked the first major campaign speech of her fourth presidential bid. According to Le Monde English, Le Pen is currently ahead in opinion polls, and her campaign has been launched despite her recent conviction and the fact that she is wearing an electronic tag.

Le Pen's campaign has been described as having her best-ever chance of winning the presidency in 2027, with polls showing her well ahead in the first round of voting and posing a significant threat to any rival in the second round, as reported by the South China Morning Post. France 24 noted that Le Pen remains the frontrunner in the polls despite her weakened legal position.

Brief written by urgent.news from Le Monde English, South China Morning Post, France 24 — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.