The key facts

  • Natacha Polony announced her candidacy on October 14, 2026 on France Inter, saying she wants to 'disrupt the usual rules of the political game'
  • Her movement 'Nous sommes la France', launched in late August, has 60,000 supporters according to her
  • To take part in the first round on April 18, 2027, candidates need at least 500 sponsorships from elected officials

Natacha Polony's Candidacy

51-year-old journalist and essayist Natacha Polony, former head of the editorial staff of Marianne magazine, announced on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, on the radio station France Inter that she will run in France's 2027 presidential election. She said she wants to 'disrupt the usual rules of the political game' and said that 'the situation forces me to.' Shortly after the broadcast, she published a video on social media in which she laid out her vision of a more sovereign France: 'A nation that no longer produces what it needs is no longer truly free — to fund our schools and hospitals, to preserve our social model, to create skilled jobs and to prepare for artificial intelligence,' she said, adding: 'We must produce... We must produce at home, on our own terms.'

Program and Movement

Polony speaks of France's 'complete loss of status.' She advocates for economic, energy and food sovereignty and calls for a reindustrialization policy to 'restore activity' and 'bring money back into the state treasury.' Emphasizing her commitment to the Republic and the education system, she intends to offer an alternative to the traditional left-right divide. In late August she launched the movement 'Nous sommes la France' ('We Are France'), addressed to 'all political orphans,' saying she wants to unite those who no longer feel represented by the current political forces. According to her, the movement has 60,000 supporters who want to 'fight against the decline of France.' She is regularly called a 'sovereigntist,' but she rejects this label, calling it the 'favorite anathema' of the 'system.' According to Euronews, Polony has Polish roots and was named after Natasha Rostova from Tolstoy's War and Peace.

Criticism of Foreign Policy

In late September, during a televised debate with Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, Polony accused him of viewing France as a 'small country.' In her view, under Emmanuel Macron, Paris 'dreams' of European unity and seeks to be 'Europe's best pupil' 'at any cost,' sacrificing the country's 'vital' interests. As examples, she cites the cancellation of the Franco-German fighter jet project and decisions on European preference in the defense sphere, which she considers disadvantageous for France, while Germany, according to her, continues to purchase American weapons systems.

A Crowded Field of Candidates

Besides Polony, nearly three dozen public figures have already declared their candidacy or are being considered as possible candidates. Among the main ones are Marine Le Pen of the National Rally, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France Insoumise, as well as former prime ministers Édouard Philippe and Gabriel Attal. On the center-left, Raphaël Glucksmann, winner of the first round of the social-democratic primaries, seeks to become an alternative to the radical-left Mélenchon. Former Socialist president François Hollande, ex-prime minister Dominique de Villepin and Bruno Le Maire, minister of the economy from 2017 to 2024, have not yet revealed their intentions. The list remains preliminary: to take part in the first round, scheduled for April 18, 2027, candidates must secure the support of at least 500 elected officials.