France already knows the dates of the presidential elections in 2027. A two-round vote in April and May may open the Elysee Palace to the far right.
The French will elect a new president in two rounds on April 18 and May 2, 2027. This was confirmed by a source from the executive branch on Tuesday. AFP informs about it, writes TASR. “It will be officially announced tomorrow (Wednesday) at the meeting of the Council of Ministers,” the unnamed source added.
- France will hold two-round presidential elections on April 18 and May 2, 2027.
- The likely date of the elections was confirmed by a source from the executive branch, the official announcement will come tomorrow.
- The National Association sees the 2027 elections as a historic chance to take power.
The anti-immigration party National Association (RN) sees next year’s elections as its best chance yet to take power in the state. Opinion polls have repeatedly suggested that the far right could win the first round of the 2027 election, but it is not yet clear who will be its candidate. The 57-year-old head of the RN parliamentary club, Marine Le Pen, or the party chairman, 30-year-old Jordan Bardella, can apply for the position of head of state.
Le Pen and the court
Le Pen unsuccessfully ran for president three times in the past. In 2012, she finished in third place and subsequently reached the second round twice, but was unsuccessful in the fight against Emmanuel Macron. In the past, she stated that she would be interested in reaching the Elysee Palace in the 2027 elections.
The decision of the appeals court, which should issue a verdict on July 7, may prevent her from running. The Paris Criminal Court found Le Pen and the RN party guilty of embezzling nearly seven million euros from European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016. He sentenced her to four years in prison, two of which were suspended, and a fine of 300,000 euros. At the same time, she was banned from running for public office for five years. Le Pen denies the guilt and therefore appealed. She also declared that if the appeals court does not cancel this ban, she will not apply for the post of head of state in 2027. This is also why Bardella is considered a possible candidate for the presidency.
Mélenchon and other candidates
In May, the leader of the radical leftist party Intransigent France (LFI) Jean-Luc Mélenchon already announced his candidacy. He will apply for the highest state office for the fourth time.
According to the constitution, elections must be held 20 to 35 days before the end of the five-year term of office of the head of state.
