Orléans congress: Bardella re-elected, Le Pen launches her campaign today
The National Rally re-elected Jordan Bardella as party leader. At the close of the congress, Marine Le Pen is set to launch her 2027 presidential campaign today. Thousands protested.
Archive image · Photo: Vox España / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped and resized)
France’s far-right National Rally (RN) confirmed Jordan Bardella as party president at its congress in Orléans, where he ran unopposed. He received almost 99 percent of the vote, according to Al Jazeera. Bardella pledged to fight “to the end for the victory of Marine Le Pen.” The two-day congress ends on Sunday with a large rally at which Le Pen is to launch her campaign for the 2027 presidential election; around 10,000 supporters were expected.
About 13,000 people demonstrated against the congress in Orléans on Saturday, according to authorities. Some 50 parties, unions and associations had called the protest; 20,000 to 30,000 participants had been expected. Among the demonstrators were Socialist leader Olivier Faure and CGT union head Sophie Binet. The mayor of Saint-Denis, Bally Bagayoko, said they had come to show the far right “that we are not afraid.” Nearly 3,000 police and gendarmes were deployed, public transport was suspended and a night-time curfew was imposed on children under 15.
Polls suggest the far right could win the presidential election, with rounds scheduled for April 18 and May 2, 2027; Bardella is seen as a possible prime minister if Le Pen wins. On the sidelines of the congress, entry checks drew criticism: female journalists reported that security staff conducting body searches had checked whether women were wearing a bra – allegedly to keep out activists from the group Femen.