French President Emmanuel Macron formally announced Thursday that he will run for a second term in April’s presidential election, ahead of which he is already leading in the polls.
In a “letter to the French” published on domestic media websites, Macron said: “I am seeking your trust again. I am a candidate to invent with you, faced with the century’s challenges, a French and European singular response.”
Macron, 44, had long indicated that he wanted to run in the election, scheduled to be held in two rounds on April 10 and April 24, without formally announcing it until now.
Polls suggest Macron is the front-runner in the race. Conservative candidate Valérie Pécresse and two far-right figures, Marine le Pen and Eric Zemmour, are expected to be his main challengers.
Left-wing candidates run divided in the race, none of them appearing in a position to qualify for the run-off. Christiane Taubira, a champion of minority groups, dropped out of the race this week because she had not managed to get enough support.