Jordan Bardella has been overwhelmingly re-elected leader of France's National Rally (RN), securing 98.98% of the vote in an uncontested leadership election.

The result was announced on Saturday, the opening day of the party's two-day congress in Orléans, as the RN seeks to consolidate its position ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Bardella received 75,497 votes, with 779 blank ballots cast, according to RN lawmaker Yoann Gillet, who oversaw the election. Turnout among party members reached nearly 68%, with electronic voting taking place between 21 September and 22 October.

Ahead of the official announcement, Bardella thanked party activists and urged them to rally behind Marine Le Pen's presidential ambitions.

"Once again, I am going to need you (...) to lead Marine Le Pen to the Élysée," he told supporters.

His re-election reinforces the division of roles between the RN's two leading figures, who have presented themselves as a "winning ticket" for the 2027 elections.

Under that strategy, Le Pen is expected to seek the presidency, while Bardella is positioning himself as a potential prime minister should the party secure a parliamentary majority.

Le Pen is due to address thousands of supporters on Sunday, when she is expected to set out the next phase of her presidential campaign.

Thousands protest against National Rally congress

The congress was accompanied by a large counter-demonstration, with thousands of protesters taking to the streets of Orléans on Saturday to voice their opposition to the RN.

Authorities estimated the turnout at around 11,000, while organisers put the figure at 26,000. The march, which began around midday, remained peaceful.

Officials had previously said they expected up to 30,000 demonstrators.

Several prominent left-wing politicians and trade union leaders joined the protest, including Bally Bagayoko, mayor of Saint-Denis and a leading figure in La France insoumise.

Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure accused the RN of contributing to what he described as a "poisonous, racist and xenophobic climate".

CGT trade union leader Sophie Binet also criticised the party, declaring that "there is no worse enemy of working men and women than the far right".

The demonstration comes amid heightened political and social tensions in France, following a renewed wave of protests and serious violence a week earlier.

Saturday's turnout was lower than the more than 50,000 people who demonstrated against a National Front congress in Strasbourg in March 1997, one of the largest protests against the party in its history.

Marine Le Pen prepares major presidential speech

Beyond Bardella's re-election, the Orléans congress is intended to showcase the RN's unity and political programme, six months before the presidential election.

Marine Le Pen is now preparing to lay out her vision for France at a major National Rally gathering in Orléans on Sunday ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

According to her entourage, the address will be a "high-calibre" speech centred on the theme of "rebirth".

The party has already begun presenting its economic and social priorities ahead of the election.

Earlier this month, the RN unveiled its alternative budget, challenging the government's fiscal proposals.

Le Pen also placed housing and the cost of living at the centre of her political agenda during a speech in Hénin-Beaumont on 14 September.

Sunday's address is expected to offer further details of the RN's strategy as it seeks to turn its electoral support into a victory in the 2027 presidential race.