France: Bardella re-elected as leader of the right-wing National Party

Orleans. French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen's protégé, Jordan Bardella, has been re-elected as head of the right-wing national Rassemblement National (RN). The party announced this on Platform X at its party conference in Orléans, south of Paris. The party conference was accompanied by protests.

According to French media, Bardella received around 99 percent of the vote, with a turnout of nearly 68 percent. The result is no surprise: the 31-year-old was the only candidate for the position, which he has held since 2022. He is seen as the political foster son of Le Pen, who, according to polls, would currently be ahead of all other candidates in the first round of next spring's presidential election. If Le Pen's candidacy is disrupted by her conviction for embezzling EU funds, Bardella is available as number 2. After the election of the RN presidency, Le Pen's first major campaign event is scheduled to take place on Sunday.

According to the prefecture, around 13,000 people protested against the party event in Orléans on Saturday afternoon. The march passed peacefully through Orléans. The route was previously adjusted by the authorities. Meanwhile, a nighttime curfew has been imposed on children and young people, as the city's mayor announced. This is intended to prevent disruptions to public order and limit the risk of riots.