Marine Le Pen, leader of the Rassemblement National, launched her presidential campaign in Orléans before ten thousand supporters. Sunday’s event followed new violence that erupted on Saturday during national protests over the cost of living. Le Pen promised to «restore the rule of law» if elected, referring to the unrest.

On Saturday, over 400,000 people demonstrated in French cities, with clashes and more than 1,300 arrests. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez attributed much of the violence to «far-left» extremists. These disturbances, France 24 reports, have been ongoing for weeks, with unions and Yellow Vests planning further actions.

Polls indicate Le Pen as the frontrunner, benefiting from social unrest. An Ipsos survey, published on Saturday, assigns her 32-34 percent of the votes in the first round. The candidate criticized the Macron government, accusing it of weakness toward protestors and a lack of authority.

Le Pen proposes to cut the cost of living with reduced energy bills and taxes, decreasing France's contribution to the EU. She criticized NATO and support for Ukraine. The next president will face limited spending capacity, with national debt and deficits exceeding EU limits.