Eric Zemmour announces French presidential bid with pledge to expel unemployed foreigners
The Reconquete leader entered the 2027 presidential race with proposals to reduce immigration and remove foreign residents who have been unemployed for more than six months.
By Hassan Ellis ·
French far-right politician Eric Zemmour announced on Tuesday that he would run in next year’s presidential election, outlining an immigration agenda that includes expelling unemployed foreigners even when they have permission to live in France. His declaration puts him in a race that also features the presidential ambitions of Marine Le Pen.
Speaking on television, the leader of Reconquete, whose name translates as Regain, presented his candidacy as an effort to protect France’s national identity. He said he was running to “preserve a French France so that our future is French,” placing that pledge at the center of his announcement.
Zemmour set a goal of reducing the number of immigrants by two million before the end of a five-year presidential term. As part of that plan, he proposed expelling foreign offenders serving prison sentences, alongside foreigners who had remained unemployed for longer than six months.
The employment proposal would extend to foreign nationals who are legal residents. Under the policy he described, having lawful permission to reside in France would not exempt someone from expulsion after more than six months without work. Both that measure and the removal of imprisoned foreign offenders were presented as ways to reach his immigration target.
The announcement marks another presidential campaign for Zemmour, who placed fourth in the 2022 election. The 68-year-old Jewish former journalist entered politics five years ago and now leads his party into a contest taking place as President Emmanuel Macron prepares to leave office next year.
Zemmour had signaled in mid-September that he intended to stand in the election. At the time, however, people around him quickly clarified that his remarks did not constitute a formal declaration. Tuesday’s televised announcement made his candidacy explicit after that earlier indication.
Le Pen remains the more prominent far-right contender. The veteran politician from the anti-immigration National Rally party finished second to Macron in each of the past two presidential elections and has been widely projected to finish first in the opening round of next year’s vote.
She is looking toward what she considers her strongest opportunity yet to win power. Her prospects come after a court in July shortened a ban on holding public office imposed over a graft conviction, ahead of the election that will determine Macron’s successor.
