France’s far-right party, the National Rally, has seized power following President Emmanuel Macron’s shocking decision to call a snap election.
The president’s bet comes after he suffered a crushing defeat in the weekend’s European Parliament elections, which saw hard-right parties advance in many EU countries.
Macron’s decision made headlines as soon as the polls closed, causing many people in France and abroad to imagine a future in which Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) party (formerly the Front National) takes control of the French parliament. Ta.
But while Le Pen may be aiming for a presidential election in 2027, the party has another leader who could be in a key position of power by July. That person is Jordan Bardera (28), a political prodigy and disciple of Le Pen.
Bardera’s RN won nearly 32% of the vote in Sunday’s European Parliament vote, more than double Macron’s 14.6%.
France’s far-right party National Rally has taken control following Emmanuel Macron’s shocking decision to call a snap election, taking control of the French parliament under the leadership of 28-year-old Jourdan Bardera. There is a possibility that
Mr. Bardera is a favorite disciple of his mentor Mr. Le Pen, who won 85% support in an internal party vote in November 2022 and assumed the leadership of the party in November 2022. The move became a symbolic change of guard for the RN.
With Bardera on her left, Le Pen appeared on stage and told supporters: “If France shows faith in us, we are ready to take power.”
If France votes on June 30 and July 7, and the party secures victory, Bardera, a “gentle-mannered, impeccably dressed” politician, will be expected to win the race against current Prime Minister Gabriel Attal ( He is already the party’s confirmed candidate to replace the 35-year-old.
As leader of an anti-immigration party, Bardera has vowed to “overturn the country’s politics and save it from ‘annihilation,'” according to the New York Times.
Some far-right supporters in France have increasingly cited the false “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory that Western countries’ populations are being overrun by non-white, non-Christian immigrants.
This claim was promoted by white supremacists and led to deadly attacks.
He is a favorite disciple of Le Pen, who became party leader in November 2022 after gaining 85% support in an internal party vote. The move marked a symbolic changing of the guard for the RN.
He is the first leader without Le Pen’s name since the party was founded by Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marin’s controversial father, half a century ago.
Marine, who ran for France’s presidential elections in 2012, 2017 and 2022 but lost to Macron twice, once called Bardera a “lion cub”.
She now calls him “Lion,” according to the New York publication.
When she stepped down as party leader, she said she wanted to focus on leading the party’s 89 members in the French National Assembly. However, many saw her decision as a continuation of the party’s efforts to normalize its image.
Bardera is young, clean-cut, and has mastered TikTok, becoming a star in his own right on the social media app popular among young people.
The National Rally, led by Jordan Bardera (pictured in Paris today), won nearly 32% of the European Parliament vote on Sunday, more than double Mr Macron’s 14.6% turnout.
Le Pen appeared on stage on Sunday with Bardera to her left (pictured) and told supporters: “If France shows faith in us, we are ready to take power.”
He has 1.5 million followers there, meaning he has one of the biggest TikTok followings in French politics. His Instagram has an additional 600,000 subscribers.
By leveraging his social media presence, he has become an acceptable face of France’s far right for young French voters.
Bardera spoke about his humble background.
His mother was an Italian immigrant, and he grew up in a single-parent home on the eighth floor of a “bleak high-rise” in the “crime-ridden” Seine-Saint-Denis.
He joined the National Rally at the age of 16, mentored Le Pen, and quickly rose through the party ranks.
According to the Times, she “saw his potential” early on. It came at a time when the party was beginning to rebrand itself after years of controversy.
Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the Front National, once ran his party from a chateau in a wealthy town west of the capital.
He repeatedly denied the Nazi Holocaust, was accused of xenophobia and anti-Semitism, and was convicted at least six times for inciting racial hatred.
But since Marine Le Pen took over the party from her father, she has worked to soften the party’s image and make it more palatable, especially to young voters who once would not have dreamed of voting for the National Rally. .
As part of this, Le Pen has worked to broaden the party’s reach by removing the stigma of racism and anti-Semitism that clings to it.
She has become noticeably estranged from her now ostracized father.
But the party continues to face criticism, with many accusing it of what they see as a creeping embrace of xenophobic views.
Marine Le Pen also has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and has been accused of continuing to be soft on the dictator despite his 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
While Le Pen condemns Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, she also has doubts about Western countries’ sanctions against Russia as a result.
The party also received a $9 million loan from the First Czech Russian Bank in 2014, which many see as a Russian effort to influence French politics.
Bardera poses for selfie with supporters in Paris on Sunday
According to the New York Times, Bardera (pictured), as leader of an anti-immigration party, has vowed to “overturn the country’s politics and save it from ‘annihilation'”.
Mr Bardera is in a different position than Jean-Marie Le Pen, with his age and skillful use of social media helping the party appeal to a new generation of voters.
“Bardera is part of a very young generation who threw themselves into support of Marine Le Pen in the 2010s, and who probably would not have participated in national assemblies during Jean-Marie Le Pen’s time. The people,” said Jiang, the political scientist. Yves Camus told the Associated Press.
And despite his age, he is considered very talented.
During the campaign for the European elections, many agreed that he won a debate with Valérie Heyer, a little-known leader of Macron’s party.
During the second debate on May 23, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal took Mr. Hayer’s place and pressed Mr. Bardera over his views on Europe.
Attal accused his younger counterpart of leading an empty party that has no interest in Europe and is “looking at the demise of itself and the European Union.”
“I’m not against Europe. I’m against the way Europe is now,” Bardera shot back.
This coincides with recent reports that the party’s party leader has put the National Assembly’s ambition to leave the European Union on the back burner.
But the party remains opposed to EU integration and has said it intends to water down Brussels’ Green Deal environmental policies, the Times reported.
In another sign that the National Rally is trying to normalize its image and appear more moderate, Mr. Bardera was rejected from the AfD party, another far-right party in Europe, after a series of controversies regarding the party in Germany. He steered the party in a direction that alienated him.
Mr Bardera had already urged Mr Macron to call a general election before the European Parliament vote and was prepared to make a statement when he took to the stage with his mentor Le Pen on Sunday.
“France has given its verdict and there will be no appeal,” he told supporters Sunday night. “Our compatriots not only want change, but also express a path to the future,” he said.
The result showed “our determination to change the direction of the EU”, he said, adding: “This is a wind of hope and only the beginning.”
As for Mr Macron, he said the result left the incumbent president a “weakened president”.
Volunteers from France’s far-right National Party (RN) past up election posters of Jourdan Bardera, the party’s president and a leading candidate in the European Parliament elections, in Lyon.
Her wish has been granted, making her the party’s candidate for prime minister, at least for now, and potentially laying the groundwork for Le Pen to re-enter the Elysée Palace.
However, according to the New York Times, there are concerns that the “prodigal son” could well “obscure his creator” in the future.
The magazine said some have suggested that Bardera could be a better presidential candidate than Le Pen by 2027 if she continues on her current trajectory.
Never before has a national assembly been seen as an acceptable option to transfer power to a sufficient number of French voters. Under Bardella, that could very well change.
