Marine Le Pen seeks legal changes for campaign funding after bank refusals

Marine Le Pen, the Rassemblement National (RN) candidate for the 2027 French presidential election, has announced that all major French banks have refused to lend her the approximately 10.7 million euros required for her campaign. In response, she is proposing a change to the law that would allow individuals to lend money directly to presidential candidates, a practice currently permitted for other types of French elections but restricted to political parties for the presidency.

Simultaneously, the RN has unveiled a five-year budgetary roadmap intended to reassure markets and investors. The plan aims to reduce the public deficit to 3% within 18 months and lower the national debt to 112% of GDP over five years through 140 billion euros in savings. While some economists have noted the party's attempt to project responsibility and sensitivity to market concerns, others remain skeptical regarding the feasibility of the proposed fiscal trajectory.