French far-right leader Zemmour announces 2027 presidential bid

French far-right politician Eric Zemmour announced Thursday he will run in the country's 2027 presidential election, telling BFMTV he entered politics five years ago to "save France from the great replacement" rather than pursue a political career.

2027 presidential bid

"I will be a candidate," the founder and leader of the Reconquete party told the French broadcaster. Zemmour said he did not embark on this battle to pursue a political career, noting that he is not a professional politician and instead sought to "save France from the great replacement."

Anti-immigration platform

Zemmour called for rapid investment in humanoid robots to fill care jobs for the sick and elderly. "Robots instead of immigrants," he stated, adding that he would "prefer a robot rather than a foreigner" to look after older people at home.

He also demanded that all foreigners unemployed for more than a year be removed from France, "even if the person has been here for 20 years." Zemmour described immigration as an "invasion that is turning into colonization," according to the channel.

Religious symbols and identity

The former journalist backed a ban on the Islamic headscarf and the Jewish kippah in public spaces, arguing that secularism means "discretion" there. He also asserted that "you cannot be French with a Muslim first name," claiming that giving a Muslim first name after three generations means "you do not want to be French."

Previous electoral performance

Zemmour first ran for president in 2022, finishing fourth in the first round with 7.07% of the vote after a rapid rise in pre-election polls. He campaigns on a nationalist, anti-immigration platform and has consistently advocated for stricter controls on migration and cultural assimilation.