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France's Rassemblement National re-elects Bardella as party president at congress under tight security
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The Rassemblement National (RN) held its 19th congress in Orléans on October 24, 2026, under high tension and without suspense. Jordan Bardella, running unopposed, was confirmed as party president with 98.98% of the vote, surpassing Marine Le Pen's previous scores. The congress also renewed a third of the executive bureau, with the composition decided in secret. Bardella must balance the party's factions, including the 'marinistes', as he launches a campaign described as resembling a fortified camp. The event precedes a major rally, highlighting internal party dynamics and preparations for upcoming electoral battles.
Source report
Jordan Bardella, president of the Rassemblement National (RN), at the party congress in Orléans, October 24, 2026. ADRIENNE SURPRENANT FOR "LE MONDE"
What is a political party whose president is re-elected unanimously and whose main governing bodies are reshuffled in the greatest secrecy? "A moment of democratic breathing room," according to the Rassemblement National (RN). The far-right party devoted its 19th congress, held Saturday, October 24 in Orléans, on the eve of a major rally, to the — relative — renewal of its institutions.
The stakes that Saturday appeared minimal, with Jordan Bardella running unopposed for the head of the movement. The only uncertainty hung over the composition of the executive bureau ("BE"), the sole decision-making body of the party of the flame.
After the proclamation of the score obtained by the outgoing president (98.98%), even more flattering than the previous plebiscites of this kind recorded by Marine Le Pen in 2017 (97.1%) and 2021 (98.35%), the thirty-something put to a vote of the national bureau (yet another formality) a composition of the "BE" with one-third of its members reshuffled. Officially, Mr. Bardella finds nothing to criticize in the leadership that, since 2022, has supported his personal rise and racked up electoral successes (legislative, municipal and senatorial elections) — without regard for the grand promises quickly abandoned (establishing territorial roots, training its executives and activists, developing programmatic ideas and concepts).
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Politique : Toute l’actualité sur Le Monde.fr.Western
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Bardella Re-elected RN President With 98.98% as Orléans Congress Draws 13,000 Protesters