Marin Le Pen stofnar forsetakamps í Frakklandi

Marin Le Pen, framsk presidential candidate from the far-right National Rally and the leader in opinion polls, launched her campaign in France. She said she would appoint Jordan Bardella as prime minister if she won, and presented promises on reducing living costs, taxes, immigration and France’s EU contribution. Her position on Ukraine is significant: although she previously pledged to halt financial assistance, she has not ruled out continued military training and arms deliveries.

Helstu atriði

Le Pen launched her presidential campaign at a National Rally rally in Orléans.
She said Jordan Bardella would become France’s prime minister if she won.
Ipsos gave Le Pen 32–34% in the first round; other polls put her at 38%.
Bardella was reelected leader of National Rally with 98.98% of the vote.
Le Pen promised to form a national unity government, fight crime, limit immigration and cut business taxes.
She said France should retain full control over its armed forces and nuclear arsenal.
Le Pen did not directly mention Ukraine or Russia during her speech.

Hvers vegna þetta skiptir máli

Le Pen’s campaign could reshape French policy on the EU, defence, immigration, taxation and household living costs. Its direct implications for Ukraine are substantial: she has promised to end financial assistance six months after taking office, although she has allowed for continued Ukrainian military training and arms deliveries.

Hvað gerðist

Le Pen began her presidential campaign at the National Rally rally in Orléans, where party leader Jordan Bardella was reelected with 98.98% of the vote without competing opponents. She presented herself as the leader in the polls and said Bardella would serve as prime minister if she won. Her economic pledges include capping household energy bills, reducing taxes, cutting France’s EU contribution, lowering business taxes, strengthening the fight against crime and limiting immigration. She also called for a national unity government and greater French control over defence and the nuclear arsenal. More than 400,000 people joined demonstrations against rising living costs in major French cities on Saturday, and police said more than 1,300 people were detained.

Hvernig úkraínskar heimildir lýsa atburðinum

Ukrainian coverage focuses on Le Pen’s previous pledge to end French financial assistance to Ukraine and her criticism of France’s support for Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s full-scale invasion. Her announcement nevertheless left open continued training of Ukrainian military personnel and deliveries of military equipment. Ukrainian coverage also highlights her opposition to Ukraine’s EU accession, her call for an independent French foreign policy and the debate over the extent of aid to Ukraine.

Hvernig erlendar heimildir lýsa atburðinum

International coverage centres on the start of Le Pen’s campaign, her main speech in Orléans, her policy pledges and the proposed appointment of Bardella as prime minister. The campaign is presented against the backdrop of protests over living costs, anti-fascist marches, mass arrests and the political fallout from the 17 October riots. Polling places her first in the first round, while her programme is framed through France’s divisions over public spending, social policy, security and immigration.

Hvar frásögnum ber ekki saman

Estimates of the anti-fascist march in Orléans differ: police counted 13,000 participants, while organisers said twice as many attended. Polls also differ on Le Pen’s first-round support. Ipsos put her at 32–34%, while other surveys cited a figure of 38%.

Baksvið

After the 17 October riots, Macron said vandals would compensate for the damage and that prefects could ban assemblies where necessary. France’s debt and budget deficit already exceed EU limits. In September, Le Pen and Bardella said Moscow should not influence French politics, while calling for discussions on the scale of assistance to Ukraine. The Yellow Vests called for another protest day the following Saturday, and the CGT trade union called for strikes from 5 November.