Unopposed vote in Orléans
Jordan Bardella was re-elected on Saturday, 24 October, as head of the National Rally (RN) at the party's congress in Orléans, in central France. He was the only candidate for the post and received 75,497 votes, according to figures announced by the congress organisers, against 779 blank ballots. Voting took place online over the preceding days, and about 68% of members took part, roughly 75,000 people. The result was announced by Yoann Gillet, the deputy in charge of organising the congress. The RN is France's leading opposition party.
Before the result was read out, Bardella thanked the militants and said:
Once again, I am going to need you (...) to lead Marine Le Pen to the Élysée.
Le Pen's campaign and the succession
Bardella, 31, is widely seen as Marine Le Pen's political protégé. He was at one point put forward to lead the far-right bid for the presidency while Le Pen was barred over the misuse of public funds. Should she win the spring presidential election, he is tipped to become prime minister, and the latest polls favour her. Le Pen is due to launch her candidacy officially in Orléans on Sunday, 25 October, which will be her first major campaign event. Polls also place her ahead of all other candidates in the first round.
Counter-protest in Orléans
A counter-demonstration against the far right set off on the same day from the Orléans theatre, away from the Zénith where the congress takes place. The prefecture put the crowd at 13,000 and the organisers at 26,000. The march was called by a collective of unions, associations and political groups, and several political figures took part. The government deployed up to 3,000 officers to prevent clashes. Protesters chanted for Emmanuel Macron to resign and for Marine Le Pen to be jailed, while placards carried slogans aimed at the RN.
The unrest behind the march
The march came a week after protests against the high cost of living turned violent on 17 October. Roughly 3,000 shops were vandalised and looted in those protests. Saturday's demonstrations were also called in several cities across the country, not only in Orléans. The timeline below sets out the key dates from 17 to 25 October.
- Cost-of-living protests turn violent, with about 3,000 shops reported vandalised and looted
- Bardella re-elected RN president unopposed at the Orléans congress as a 13,000 to 26,000 person march takes place nearby
- Marine Le Pen expected to officially launch her presidential candidacy in Orléans