National Rally is committed to a “constructive opposition” to the Barnier government

September 8 () –

The president of the French far-right National Rally party, Jordan Bardella, said on Saturday that he wants to form a “constructive opposition” to the future government of conservative Michel Barnier.

“I simply hope that, unlike the left, the National Rally will not participate in institutional disorder and democratic chaos,” he explained during an interview with French television channel TF1.

These words come shortly after thousands of people took part in 150 demonstrations across France on Saturday to protest the appointment of conservative Michel Barnier as prime minister despite the left’s victory in the last legislative elections.

The party’s leader, Marine Le Pen, confirmed on Thursday that they will not censure Barnier without having heard his political programme, which he will present to the National Assembly. In this regard, Bardella declared that “if Barnier wishes to be the voice and the leader of the democratic inspirations that were expressed in the legislative elections, then I will judge him based on the evidence.”

However, the president of the National Rally has warned that if the new prime minister “continues the policy that Emmanuel Macron has pursued (…) then this government will fall.”

Bardella has denied having received “guarantees” from Barnier in exchange for support after his speech to the National Assembly. “There have been no direct discussions with Michel Barnier,” he said, while claiming to have “demands” regarding purchasing power, security and immigration.

In this regard, when asked about the party’s position regarding a possible pension reform, Bardella said that he was “waiting to see what the new prime minister has to say.”

“If the concerns we have are not reflected in his speech, we reserve the right to censure the government (…) This pension reform is unfair, so we will continue to advocate in the National Assembly for a much earlier start,” he said, referring to Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension law that sparked strong protests in France last year.