Le Pen Holds First Election Rally

Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally party and the candidate leading opinion polls for the French presidential election scheduled for April, delivered her first major campaign speech on Sunday, amid a charged political and economic climate.

All polls indicate that Le Pen holds a significant lead in the first round, with approximately 38 percent support, and is poised to defeat any of her potential rivals in the second round, benefiting from the fragmentation of centrist parties and the struggles of traditional parties.

Projections suggest that Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the radical left La France Insoumise party and Le Pen’s most formidable competitor, could suffer a crushing defeat if he reaches the second round, due to the weak conversion of voter support in his favor.

While Jordan Bardella faces accusations of antisemitism stemming from comments made in his youth—claims he strongly denies—the party that describes itself as “the largest party in France” and boasts 160,000 members appears to be paving its way to power.

Le Pen is scheduled to deliver her speech at a major campaign rally in Orléans (central France), in a venue with a capacity of 10,000 people.

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets under stricter security measures following demonstrations on October 17, which were marred by violence, looting, and resulted in the arrest of approximately 1,000 people.

Orléans specifically witnessed an anti-Le Pen protest coinciding with her party’s conference on Saturday, amid calm conditions and heavy security presence. Authorities estimated the number of participants at 13,000, while organizers claimed the figure reached 26,000.

Le Pen commented on the peaceful nature of the demonstrations, stating they serve as proof that “things are going well when the police are present.”

In contrast, Mélenchon organized a demonstration in Paris on Saturday, blaming the police for the clashes that occurred during the previous week’s protests. He also reiterated his attacks on the government, calling on President Emmanuel Macron to “resign.”

Le Pen believes her party has succeeded in imposing its vision of the crisis, noting that she “has been right on all issues” for a long time.

She has pledged to tighten security measures, control immigration, and deport migrants, as well as carry out constitutional reforms through a referendum, which could lead to a fierce confrontation with the European Union.

Currently, the far-right candidate’s task to secure her victory in the second round is to “convince” approximately 15 percent of undecided voters that “her solutions to improve people’s lives” and “make the French happy” are indeed what the country, standing on the brink of a social and financial crisis, needs.