Marine Tondelier pregnant in France presidential race

French Greens leader Marine Tondelier is campaigning for the 2027 presidential election while pregnant, bringing motherhood, infertility and reproductive health into the race.

Tondelier, 39, is running to succeed President Emmanuel Macron. She announced at the end of March that she was three months pregnant after a miscarriage and several unsuccessful attempts at assisted reproduction and IVF.

She said the decision to keep campaigning was “never in doubt”, but described pregnancy during the race as “a real challenge”. She travelled across France in an electric van in July while seven months pregnant, cutting the journey short because wildfire smoke in southwest France posed a risk to pregnant women.

Tondelier has argued for a united left-wing and Green front, although it remains unclear how many candidates the left will field. She said her campaign also gave her a chance to raise women's health issues, including infertility and access to assisted reproductive technology.

She told La Tribune Dimanche that she underwent embryo screening in Belgium because the procedure is banned in France. She said she would campaign “as long as it's reasonable”.

Tondelier is due to give birth at the end of September. She has not decided how long her maternity leave will last, saying a team would cover her duties while she is away.