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Marine Tondelier, leader of France’s Green Party, is campaigning for the 2027 presidential election while pregnant, marking what is believed to be the first such instance in the country’s history.
The 39-year-old is seeking to succeed President Emmanuel Macron. She announced her pregnancy in late March, when she was three months pregnant. She is now around eight months pregnant and has described the baby as a “miracle.”
Tondelier previously suffered a miscarriage and later underwent several unsuccessful attempts to have a child through assisted reproductive treatment, including in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
She had almost given up hope of becoming a mother when she discovered she was pregnant while preparing for her presidential bid. Tondelier said she was initially stunned by the news.
Despite her pregnancy, she has remained determined to continue her campaign, saying she never had any doubts about doing so.
Campaigning while pregnant has been a major challenge, she acknowledged. In July, while seven months pregnant, she travelled across France amid a heatwave.
Tondelier supports forming an alliance between the left and the Green Party for the election, although it remains unclear how many candidates the broader left will field. Opinion polls suggest she faces a difficult battle to secure a strong position in the race.
Speaking to La Tribune Dimanche, Tondelier said she would continue campaigning for as long as she considered it reasonable.
Her candidacy has also brought renewed attention to women’s health issues, including reproductive health and the challenges women face with infertility.