Le Pen claims far right will win majority and take over some military decisions

Marine Le Pen, pictured with Jordan Bardella, says Macron serving as commander-in-chief ‘is an honorary title for the president, since it’s the prime minister who holds the purse strings’. Photograph: Julien de Rosa/AFP/Getty Images

Marine Le Pen has said she expects her far-right National Rally (RN) party to win an absolute majority in France’s general election, form a government and take over at least some defence and armed forces decision-making – including on Ukraine.

France’s constitution states that the president is head of the armed forces and chairs France’s national defence committees, but also that the prime minister is “responsible for national defence”, leaving the precise role of the premier open to interpretation.