Marine Le Pen has formally launched her campaign for next year's French presidential election, promising to restore order and national confidence as France endures one of its most turbulent periods in years. The far-right leader chose Orleans, home of Joan of Arc, for her first campaign address on Sunday.

Poll lead and promises

An opinion poll published on Sunday put Le Pen on 32% to 33.5%, well ahead of her nearest rival, hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon on 17%. Surveys suggest she would easily beat Melenchon in a run-off ballot expected in early May. Addressing cheering supporters, she promised "zero tolerance" policing, saying restoring security was the state's first duty, and pledged to restore border controls, automatically expel foreign criminals and crack down on gangs and drug traffickers.

Turmoil behind the launch

Mass protests over living costs and inequality last weekend descended into looting and vandalism, giving Le Pen a boost as voters desert mainstream parties for the political extremes. She framed her campaign around a national "Renaissance", telling supporters: "We are not living through the end of the world but the end of a world, their world." Le Pen could have to campaign wearing an ankle tag after she was convicted of embezzling European Parliament funds, a verdict she is appealing.