Bardella Re-elected RN President With 98.98% as Orléans Congress Draws 13,000 Protesters
France's Rassemblement National held its 19th congress in Orléans on October 24, 2026, re-electing Jordan Bardella as party president with 98.98% of the vote as the sole candidate. Bardella, who took the helm in 2022, claimed membership tripled to 160,000 in four years and framed the congress around helping Marine Le Pen reach the Élysée. The same day, between 13,000 and 26,000 people joined a left-wing protest against the far right, with authorities warning of possible unrest on Sunday.
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France's National Rally Holds Congress in Orléans, Reelects Bardella Without Contest
France's far-right Rassemblement National (RN) held its 19th congress in Orléans on October 24, 2026, where Jordan Bardella was confirmed as party president with 98.98% of the vote, running unopposed. The result surpassed Marine Le Pen's previous reelection scores of 97.1% in 2017 and 98.35% in 2021. The congress, described by the party as a 'moment of democratic breathing,' also renewed a third of the executive bureau, the party's sole decision-making body, though the process was conducted with little transparency. The event preceded a major rally and was characterized by high tension, with Bardella needing to acknowledge 'Marinists' within the party. The article notes that the leadership has accumulated electoral successes since 2022 while abandoning earlier promises to build local presence and develop programmatic ideas.
Bardella Re-elected as Rassemblement National Leader with Nearly 99 Percent
Jordan Bardella has been re-elected as leader of France's right-wing nationalist Rassemblement National (RN), receiving roughly 99 percent of votes with a turnout of nearly 68 percent, according to French media. The 31-year-old was the sole candidate and has held the post since 2022. He is considered a political protégé of Marine Le Pen, who currently leads polls for the first round of next spring's presidential election. Should Le Pen's candidacy be disrupted by her conviction for misappropriation of EU funds, Bardella stands ready as the number two. The party congress in Orléans was accompanied by protests, with around 13,000 people demonstrating peacefully against the event, according to the prefecture. Authorities adjusted the protest route and imposed a nighttime curfew for children and youths to prevent public order disturbances and limit the risk of riots. Le Pen's first major campaign rally is scheduled for Sunday.
Read sourceBardella Re-Elected RN President With 98.98% of Votes at Orléans Congress
Jordan Bardella was re-elected president of France's Rassemblement National (RN) on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at the party's congress in Orléans, winning 98.98% of the vote as the sole candidate for his own succession. Bardella, an MEP who took the RN helm in 2022, told thousands of activists he would need them 'to lead Marine to the Elysée,' and claimed party membership had tripled to 160,000 in four years, citing 70 mayors and 3,000 municipal councillors elected last spring. He is set to speak Sunday at the Zénith in Orléans, followed by Marine Le Pen, the party's presidential candidate. The same weekend, Orléans became a symbol of a fractured France: 13,000 people, per the prefecture, joined a left-wing, union and associative protest against the far right, starting from the city's theatre, away from the RN congress venue.
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Bardella Re-Elected RN President With 98.98% of Votes at Orléans Congress
Jordan Bardella was re-elected president of France's Rassemblement National (RN) on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at the party's congress in Orléans, winning 98.98% of the vote as the sole candidate. Bardella told thousands of activists he would need them to help Marine Le Pen, the presidential candidate, reach the Élysée, and claimed party membership had tripled to 160,000 in four years. He praised the party's unity amid recent accusations of antisemitic writings, which he denies, and urged calm against political adversaries he accused of legitimizing violence. Separately, between 13,000 and 26,000 people joined a left-wing demonstration against the far right in Orléans, with officials warning of possible unrest on Sunday. The march followed a deadly racist shooting near Trappes.
Read sourceAfter October 17 Violence, RN Congress in Orleans Closes Ranks Around Jordan Bardella
Following the chaotic looting and violence on the margins of the October 17 protests, the Rassemblement National (RN) has returned to its core security-focused messaging, using the unrest to move past a difficult start to the presidential campaign. At the party congress in Orleans on October 24-25, Jordan Bardella is set to be reelected as party president unopposed, with membership having tripled despite controversies including antisemitism allegations against him and a trial over his counter-budget. The party is presenting a unified front, with communication materials reading 'Marine president – Bardella government,' as Marine Le Pen positions herself as a presidential candidate while Bardella handles media appearances. Le Pen's eight-minute speech, described as presidential in tone, went viral with 18 million views.