Éric Zemmour confirms he is a candidate in France's 2027 presidential election

Confirmation on TF1

Éric Zemmour, president of the Reconquête party, confirmed on Tuesday, 10 November, on the 20h news programme of TF1 that he will stand in France's presidential election of 2027. The first round is scheduled for April 2027. He had already hinted at the bid on BFMTV on 17 September, when he first said he was "in a process of candidacy" before remarking on air that he was a candidate for the presidency.

Asked on TF1 to confirm the decision, he replied:

“Yes, I confirm to you that I am indeed a candidate in the presidential election.”

Previous campaign

Zemmour took 7.07% of the first-round vote in 2022 and finished fourth. After that defeat he urged his voters to back Marine Le Pen of the Rassemblement National in the runoff. In May he had already ruled out any dialogue with that party before the presidential election, saying each side would go its own way. This is his second presidential bid, and he is now 68 years old.

Platform

His stated aim is to preserve what he calls a French France and to halt what he sees as national decline. He has said he wants two million fewer immigrants by the end of the five-year term, including expelling foreign unemployed people after six months even when they are legally resident. He has long argued that France faces "disappearance" because of Muslim immigration, and he has taken a tougher tone in the weeks before the announcement.

Standing in the race

He is credited with about 4% of voting intentions, far behind Marine Le Pen, the Rassemblement National candidate. Coverage notes that his partner Sarah Knafo has overtaken him in popularity. A former journalist, he rose to prominence as a TV pundit, and from 2019 he hosted a daily programme on CNews watched each evening by nearly 700,000 viewers.