`Marine Le Pen has been reelected as the leader of the far-right Rassemblement National and sets her sights on the presidential election next year.
ADVERTISEMENTThe French far-right party, Rassemblement National (RN) re-elected Marine Le Pen as its leader on Sunday with no opposing candidates.
Following recent disappointments in regional elections, Le Pen is hoping to restore party momentum ahead of next year's presidential election.
Her re-election, with more than 98 per cent of the vote, is likely to help her do that.
After the result was announced Le Pen outlined her plans for the future.
"One decade after being elected as head of RN one cannot but recognise that in a world in total upheaval, among the ruins of ancient order, in an ever-shifting political landscape where everything is uncertain and ceaselessly put to question - we've managed to affirm ourselves as a centre of reliability, stability and, I believe, of confidence for millions of our compatriots."
Le Pen received congratulations and praise on Twitter from other far-right European organisations and individuals including Katalin Novak of Hungary's Fidesz party and Italian nationalist group Fratelli D'Italia.
It comes as European far-right parties agreed to sign a joint declaration aimed at reforming Europe. Signatories include Italy’s Matteo Salvini and Hungary’s Viktor Orban as well as Marine Le Pen.
They aim to form a grand alliance in the European Parliament.
Le Pen claimed the EU was increasingly becoming a tool of radical forces who wanted to create a superstate that would destroy European traditions and moral principles.