Marine Le Pen launches RN campaign in Orléans, pledges national renaissance and inclusive government

Marine Le Pen officially kicked off her presidential bid on Sunday with a rally in Orléans, presenting her vision of a "renaissance" for France. She outlined plans for a pluralist, national-unity cabinet that would be chaired by current RN head Jordan Bardella should she secure victory in May. Le Pen stressed that her project aims to construct a future France, not to revive a bygone era, and she wants the constitution to reflect an inclusive, fraternal principle of a single national community, rejecting any form of communalism.

She described the desired state as collective and patriotic but not partisan, and asserted that France should become a "nation of peace" by refusing to send its youth into unnecessary conflicts. Local authorities had banned public assemblies in a wide perimeter around Orléans, prompting a strong police presence at the event. Outside the permitted zone, a small group of anti-RN activists gathered, voicing opposition to the party.