Marine Le Pen launches French presidential campaign, vowing to 'restore the rule of law'

Le Pen, 58, told about 8,500 supporters of her National Rally party in Orléans that she would "restore the rule of law," AFP reported, pointing to looting and arson on the sidelines of recent cost-of-living protests. Euronews reported that she promised the expulsion of foreign offenders and what she calls "national priority," and said she would form a government led by party president Jordan Bardella, who was re-elected to that post at a party congress the day before.

AFP described Le Pen as the frontrunner in the polls to succeed President Emmanuel Macron, six months before the vote.

Why it matters: This is Le Pen's fourth run for the presidency, and she is campaigning as France faces mass protests over the cost of living and a crackdown on the violence around them.