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This article is based on a reflection on political discourse in France and asks the following question: to what extent can expressing one’s love for the nation in a declaration of candidacy for the presidential elections be considered a performative act? The analysis focuses on the performativity of political statements and on the declarant “I,” the actor of the declaration. Well-known and expected, the declaration of candidacy has become a prerequisite in the republican ritual, and is testament to the importance of asserting oneself before the people. In such a context, the declaration can be regarded as a performance of love, and no longer solely as the presentation of a political program.