Éric Zemmour confirms he will stand in France's 2027 presidential election
Éric Zemmour confirmed on TF1's evening news on Tuesday that he will stand in next year's French presidential election, his second run for the Élysée. '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. Zemmour, a former journalist who leads the Reconquest party, won 7% of the vote in the first round in 2022. A poll on Monday showed far-right leader Marine Le Pen and hard-left rival Jean-Luc Mélenchon consolidating their lead in voting intentions.
Key points
- Zemmour confirmed his candidacy on TF1 on Tuesday — his second run, after 7% and fourth place in 2022.
- The confirmation formalises the candidacy he let slip on BFMTV on 17 September.
- Inside his party, Reconquest, many had pressed for Sarah Knafo to replace him.
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- A Monday poll showed Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon consolidating their lead in voting intentions.
Watch: the moment itself
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Video: BFMTV · Watch on YouTube
What happened
Zemmour's confirmation settles the question that had hung over the French far right since September: whether Reconquest would field its founder again or turn to Knafo, whose anti-tax manifesto has been a bestseller. He enters a crowded 2027 field in which Le Pen, the frontrunner in current polling, is the candidate he must outflank on immigration — the theme he put first again on TF1.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- That Zemmour has confirmed his candidacy in his own words, twice — on BFMTV in September and on TF1 on Tuesday.
What we don't know yet
- Zemmour's current voting-intention level — the Monday poll's figures for him were not in the reporting read.
- Whether he will secure the 500 sponsorships from elected officials that a French presidential candidacy requires.
Claim by claim
Show all claims (5)
Why this label: The candidacy is Zemmour's own on-record statement on TF1, reported by Reuters and Le Monde. His stated reason is carried as his position.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The September statement and the internal pressure are reported by Le Monde; the September words are Zemmour's own on BFMTV, whose official video of that announcement is attached to this story.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The 2022 share is stated by Reuters; the fourth-place finish is reported by AFP.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The poll's direction is reported by Reuters; no voting-intention figures are carried because the poll's numbers were not in the reporting read.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The past conviction and the remarks it concerned are stated in Reuters' report; the words quoted are the remarks as Reuters characterised them.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why it matters
France's 2027 election will choose Emmanuel Macron's successor, and the far right's vote is currently split between Le Pen's National Rally and Zemmour's Reconquest. His confirmed candidacy locks in that competition — and his 'French France' framing sets the terms on which he intends to fight it.
Background
Show the background timeline (4)
Zemmour is convicted over remarks describing Muslims in traditional dress as part of an 'invasion' and a 'colonization'.
He stands for the presidency for the first time, winning 7% in the first round and finishing fourth.
He lets his 2027 candidacy slip at the end of a BFMTV interview: 'I will be a candidate.'
He confirms the candidacy formally on TF1's evening news.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
- Latest
Published. Basis: Zemmour's own confirmation on TF1, reported by Reuters and Le Monde.