Éric Zemmour confirms second French presidential bid

Éric Zemmour has confirmed a second run for the French presidency, telling TF1 he will stand in the next election. The bid returns the leader of the far-right Reconquest party to a race in which Reuters reported that Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon were ahead in a recent poll of voting intentions.

Zemmour said he was running to preserve what he called “a France that is French” and to keep the country’s future French, according to Reuters. The former newspaper journalist and television commentator is known for anti-Islam and anti-immigration positions.

What happened in Éric Zemmour’s first presidential bid?

Zemmour first ran for president in 2022, receiving 7% of the vote in the first round, Reuters reported. AFP reporting published by Al Jazeera said he finished fourth in that contest.

His latest announcement is therefore a renewed candidacy, rather than his first entry into a presidential race. Zemmour made the confirmation on TF1 on November 10.

What has Zemmour said about his campaign?

In the television interview, Zemmour confirmed that he would be a candidate in the next presidential election. He framed his reason for running around his view of French national identity, Reuters reported.

Reuters also reported that Zemmour was convicted in 2020 over remarks in which he described Muslim women and men wearing traditional religious clothing as part of an “invasion” and “colonization.”

The announcement adds another far-right figure to the coming contest. Reuters said a poll published the day before Zemmour’s statement put Le Pen and Mélenchon in the lead on voting intentions, while other polls cited by the news agency indicated Le Pen was likely to win. Those polling findings are a snapshot of voter preferences, not an election result.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.