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Marine Le Pen launches her presidential campaign in Orléans: a “government of national unity” led by Jordan Bardella

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AT A GLANCE

On Sunday 25 October, Marine Le Pen launched her 2027 campaign at a rally in Orléans. If she wins, she would form a government of national unity led by Jordan Bardella.

Photo of Marine Le Pen (archive photo from 2024)
Vox España · CC0
In this article

The essentials

According to Euronews (via Yahoo), Marine Le Pen’s first campaign rally gathered about 8,500 activists in Orléans on Sunday 25 October. Jordan Bardella, re-elected the day before as head of the RN, introduced her on stage. She said that, if she won in May 2027, she would form a “government of national unity” led by Jordan Bardella.

Main lines of the speech

According to the article, Marine Le Pen promised a “rebirth of France” and a “return of authority”. She presented alternation in power as “a normal breath of democracy” and said that “the rule of law is not law against the State”, promising the enforcement of sentences and the expulsion of foreign offenders. She put forward “national priority” and a “double border: French and European”. On foreign policy, she refused to send young people into wars “that are not ours”, without naming Ukraine. She criticised the government’s handling of the violence of 17 October.

Within the party

Marine Le Pen has stepped down as head of the RN group in the National Assembly, replaced by her close ally Sébastien Chenu. Jordan Bardella was seen as a fallback candidate if her conviction in the European parliamentary assistants case prevented her from running; the article says nothing about the appeal decision. She is presented as the favourite in all polls.

In and around the hall

At the start of Bardella’s speech, a disturbance was observed in a stand; he asked for the Marseillaise to be sung while security intervened. The Union of Jewish Students of France (UEJF) says its activists were roughed up after unfurling a banner against Bardella; the circumstances remain unclear. On Saturday, the demonstration against the congress had gathered 13,000 people (prefecture) or 26,000 (organisers), peacefully. On Sunday, about 3,000 police and rescue workers were deployed in Orléans.

The previous day’s mobilisation

The article says the national mobilisation of 24 October (“act II”) gathered between 410,000 and 800,000 people, with clashes at the end of some marches and 1,314 arrests (sources of the figures not specified). Unions and gilets jaunes promise to continue.

To keep in mind

The quotations come from the article’s summary. The venue is given in two ways (Palais des congrès and Zénith d’Orléans). Concerning Bardella, the article recalls antisemitic texts reported by Mediapart, which he denies.

LANGUAGE NOTES

Learn the grammar

Explained in English

French grammar

Learn sentence patterns and usage from the article’s own sentences.

01The present indicative
Structure

est / sont + attribute (noun, adjective, prepositional phrase)

In the article
Les dates d’annonce, des faits et de vérification sont distinctes.
Key points

Être in the present is est for a singular subject and sont for a plural one. It describes nature, state or place (“is”, “is located”). If what follows (the attribute) is a noun, adjective or prepositional phrase, it is not a passive. If a past participle follows, it is a passive (est annoncé). Headlines and summaries often use the present to describe the current situation.

02The passé composé
Structure

present of avoir + past participle

In the article
Dimanche 25 octobre, Marine Le Pen a lancé sa campagne pour 2027 lors d’un meeting à Orléans.
Key points

The passé composé is the most common past tense, used for “did” and “has done” — actions completed in the past. It is formed with the auxiliary avoir (a / ont…) in the present + a past participle. Past participles of -er verbs end in -é (annoncer → annoncé); learn the irregular ones (faire → fait, prendre → pris, voir → vu). In the negative, ne … pas wraps the auxiliary (n’a pas annoncé). In the news it reports facts that have already happened, such as “announced” or “voted”.

03The imparfait
Structure

stem (nous form of the present) + -ais / -ait / -ions / -iez / -aient

In the article
Elle a déclaré que, si elle gagnait en mai 2027, elle formerait un « gouvernement d’union nationale » dirigé par Jordan Bardella.
Key points

The imparfait describes states, background, habits and actions in progress in the past (il était, elle avait, ils pensaient). Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons, and add -ais / -ais / -ait / -ions / -iez / -aient. If the passé composé gives “the event itself”, the imparfait paints “the situation at the time”.

04The present conditional
Structure

stem (infinitive) + -ais / -ait / -ions / -iez / -aient

In the article
Si elle l’emporte, elle formerait un gouvernement d’union nationale dirigé par Jordan Bardella.
Key points

The conditional expresses possibility, supposition, unconfirmed information and polite requests (“would”, “might”). It uses the same stem as the future and the same endings as the imparfait (-ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient): pouvoir → il pourrait. In the news it is used to avoid asserting, as in “is reported to…” or “there is a possibility…”.

05The present subjunctive
Structure

il faut que / pour que / bien que + subject + subjunctive

In the article
Au début du discours de Bardella, un trouble a été observé dans une tribune ; il a demandé que l’on chante la Marseillaise pendant que la sécurité intervenait.
Key points

The subjunctive expresses wish, need, purpose, doubt and feeling rather than “fact”. It is used inside a clause with que. Triggers: il faut que (must), pour que / afin que (so that), bien que / quoique (although), avant que (before), souhaiter que, vouloir que and others. Formation: stem of the ils present minus -ent + -e, -es, -e, -ions, -iez, -ent. Irregular: être → soit, avoir → ait, aller → aille, faire → fasse, pouvoir → puisse, savoir → sache.

06The passive voice in the present
Structure

être (est / sont) + past participle (+ par / de)

In the article
Jordan Bardella était vu comme un candidat de recours si la condamnation dans l’affaire des assistants parlementaires européens l’empêchait de se présenter ; l’article ne dit rien de la décision en appel.
Key points

The passive means “is done” or “is being done”. It is formed with être + past participle, which agrees with the subject in gender and number (la mesure est adoptée / les mesures sont adoptées). The agent is introduced by par (or de). In the news it is common when the event, rather than the actor, is the focus (est prévu / est annoncé / est connu).

07The passive in the passé composé
Structure

a / ont été + past participle

In the article
L’Union des étudiants juifs de France (UEJF) dit que ses militants ont été molestés après avoir déployé une banderole contre Bardella ; les circonstances restent floues.
Key points

The past passive means “was done”. Its form is present of avoir + été (past participle of être) + past participle. Été does not change, but the last participle agrees with the subject in gender and number (la loi a été votée / les textes ont été votés). It is frequent in news reporting results such as votes, decisions and announcements.

08The gerund
Structure

en + present participle (-ant)

In the article
Elle a présenté l’alternance comme « une respiration normale de la démocratie » et dit que « l’État de droit, ce n’est pas le droit contre l’État », en promettant l’exécution des peines et l’expulsion des délinquants étrangers.
Key points

The gerund means “while doing”, “by doing” or “when doing”. Its form is en + present participle (-ant). Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons and add -ant (faire → faisant). The subject is normally that of the main clause. It shows things happening at the same time, or the means.

09Negation and its scope
Structure

ne / n’ … pas · ne … plus

In the article
Elle a présenté l’alternance comme « une respiration normale de la démocratie » et dit que « l’État de droit, ce n’est pas le droit contre l’État », en promettant l’exécution des peines et l’expulsion des délinquants étrangers.
Key points

Normally ne and pas wrap the verb. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. Check which part of the sentence the negation covers. Ne … plus means “no longer”.

10Citing a source with selon
Structure

selon + noun / organisation

In the article
Selon Euronews (via Yahoo), le premier meeting de campagne de Marine Le Pen a rassemblé environ 8 500 militants à Orléans dimanche 25 octobre.
Key points

Selon means “according to”. Put a person or organisation after it as the source. It separates facts the writer checked directly from what another body or report said. Citing a source does not turn a forecast into an accomplished fact.

11The subject relative pronoun qui
Structure

noun + qui + verb

In the article
En politique étrangère, elle a refusé d’envoyer des jeunes dans des guerres « qui ne sont pas les nôtres », sans citer l’Ukraine.
Key points

Qui continues a description of the person or thing just mentioned (“the one that does…”). Because qui is itself the subject of the next verb, do not repeat the subject. The verb agrees with the noun qui refers to.

12Delimiting an interval
Structure

de … à … / du … au …

In the article
L’article indique que la mobilisation nationale du 24 octobre (« acte II ») a réuni de 410 000 à 800 000 personnes, avec des heurts en fin de certains cortèges et 1 314 interpellations (sources des chiffres non précisées).
Key points

De…à… shows the start and end, “from … to …”, and is also used for changes in figures. With dates, de + le becomes du and à + le becomes au, giving forms like du 13 au 15. Check whether the interval concerns dates, times or amounts.

13Dates and their prepositions
Structure

le + 日付 / du … au …

In the article
Elle a critiqué la gestion par le gouvernement des violences du 17 octobre.
Key points

Le 15 octobre means “on 15 October”. Distinguish the le before a date from the le that marks a weekly habit like a weekday. Du is de + le and au is à + le, so decide the meaning from the verb and period expressions around them. Their role depends on the group: a range of dates, the date of a bulletin or another complement.

Explained in English

Japanese grammar

Understand the structure and usage from the text.

01Citing a source: によると
Structure

noun + によると

In the article
ユーロニュース(ヤフー経由)によると、25日(日)、マリーヌ・ル・ペン氏の、運動の初めての集会が、オルレアンで開かれ、約8500人の活動家が集まりました。
Key points

As in “LCPによると”, it shows where the information comes from. What that source reported follows. It is used differently from “私にとって”, which gives one’s own opinion.

02Polite negation and plain form
Structure

〜ではありません / 〜ではない

In the article
政権の交代は「民主主義の自然な息づかい」で、革命的なことではない、と述べました。
Key points

They negate a noun and similar content. “ではありません” is the polite form and “ではない” the plain form. “成立ではありません” shows that it cannot be said to have been concluded.

03Indicating the subject: について
Structure

noun + について

In the article
治安については、「法治国家は、国家に反する権利ではない」と話し、刑の執行や、外国人の犯罪者の国外退去を約束しました。
Key points

As in “予算について”, it shows the topic to be talked about or explained. In the form “〜についての報道”, の is added so that the group qualifies the following noun.

04Qualifying a noun with に関する
Structure

noun + に関する + noun

In the article
バルデラ氏に関する報道(反ユダヤ的な文章)は、バルデラ氏が否定していると書かれています。
Key points

As in “税控除に関する採決”, it explains what the following noun relates to. It is close to “about” and is common in headlines and descriptions.

05Cause or purpose with ため
Structure

〜ため / 〜ために

In the article
バルデラ氏は、ル・ペン氏が、欧州議会の議員助手の事件の有罪判決のために、運動できなくなった場合の、候補者とも、みなされていました。
Key points

ため is used for both reason and purpose. “成立ではないため” is a reason and “運転手を守るため” a purpose. Decide from the whole sentence whether what precedes is a cause or a goal.

06The polite past ました
Structure

verb stem (連用形) + ました

In the article
25日、国民連合のマリーヌ・ル・ペン氏が、オルレアンの集会で、2027年の大統領選に向けた運動を始めました。
Key points

In “発表しました”, ました makes a verb polite past. The negative is “ませんでした”. Read the actual date together with the date and time in the text.

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