Eric Zemmour says he will run in France's 2027 presidential election

Eric Zemmour, leader of the Reconquête party, confirmed on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, that he would stand in France's next presidential election, telling TF1 television: "I can confirm to you that I will indeed be a candidate in the Presidential election."

Zemmour, a former newspaper journalist and television commentator, said he was running to preserve a French France. "I am standing so I can try and keep a France that is French, and so that the future of our country remains French," he said.

In the TF1 interview, Zemmour set out plans to cut immigration by 2 million people by the end of his term if elected, targeting what he described as criminals and people unemployed for more than six months, and said he would put the measure to a referendum. He had not yet released a full campaign program.

Actu.fr reported that Zemmour had earlier raised the possibility on BFM TV on September 17 and in a post on X on November 10, and that he had not yet obtained the 500 signatures or the financing required for a presidential run.

He stood in the 2022 presidential election and won 7% of first-round votes, according to the primary report. Zemmour has a 2020 criminal conviction for remarks describing Muslim men and women in traditional religious dress as part of an "invasion" and a "colonization." A poll on Monday put Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Melenchon ahead in voting intentions, with Le Pen seen as likely to win.

The first round of the presidential election is scheduled for April 18, 2027.