PARIS, France, July 1, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - France will head to the polls to elect its next president on April 18 and May 2, 2027, a source within the executive branch said Tuesday, confirming local media reports.

"It will be made official tomorrow (Wednesday) in the Council of Ministers," the source added.

Marine Le Pen's anti-immigration National Rally (RN) party views next year's contest as its strongest opportunity yet to take power.

Polls have repeatedly suggested the far-right could lead in the first round of the 2027 vote, but it is not yet clear who its candidate will be.

Le Pen is hoping to run for president for a fourth time next year, after coming third in 2012, then twice making the runoffs against President Emmanuel Macron, who is serving his second and final term.

She will stand as her Eurosceptic party's candidate if an appeals court on July 7 does not ban her from office over an alleged fake jobs scam in the European Parliament.

Under the constitution, the vote must be held between 20 and 35 days before the end of Macron's current five-year term.