French far-right leader Marine LePen This Saturday, he ceded the leadership of his party, the National Association (RN, acronym in French), to his right-hand man, the young MEP jordan bardellawho promised to give continuity to the ultra-nationalist principles defended by his former leader.
Bardella won an overwhelming victory, with the support of almost 85% of the militants -compared to the 15% obtained by his only opponent, the mayor of Perpignan, Louis Aliot-, in the election that took place at the 18th congress of the RN , held at the Parisian conference center Maison de la Mutualité.
“I want to address those disappointed by the old parties, to the orphans of the right, to those in love with France, to those who refuse to see her disappear. Join us! Come with us on the path that leads to the conquest of power and take your place. Let’s happen to Emmanuel Macron!”encouraged in his first speech as president of the RN.
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With a rhetoric full of ultranationalist and populist promises, Bardella took advantage of the mass bath before his supporters to highlight his admiration and gratitude to Marine Le Pen, the woman who has supported him in his meteoric rise in politics.
“I would like to tell you today: all my appreciation and also my pride in working with herbut above all for her and at her side,” he asserted.
Le Pen, for her part, will now concentrate on her work as head of the RN in the French National Assembly, after the historic results obtained in the legislative elections last June (the far-right bloc won 89 deputies), which also they left the government bloc without an absolute majority in the chamber.
“I am not leaving the presidency of our movement to go on vacation. I am still mobilized. There will be no rest for meas for none of us, until we’ve straightened out the country”assured Le Pen in her speech as outgoing president, just before the announcement of the results of the election of her successor.
Jordan Bardella, the new president of the far-right National Rally party, holds the hand of his predecessor, Marine Le Pen.
The change of leadership will not imply, in principle, great changes in the ideas defended by the RN, centered on the nationalist and ethnocentric concept of the national “preference” or “priority”. Indeed, Le Pen is expected to continue to be the strong voice behind the scenes, at least for the time being.
From Bardella, analysts anticipate a more radical profile in terms of ideasafter the period of refoundation and “demonization” of the party promoted by Le Pen.
Bardella’s speech
For the moment, without great surprises, in his first speech Bardella highlighted priorities such as the tightening of immigration policies -for which he promised a referendum-, the expulsion of the undocumented, social aid reserved for the French and respect for authority and to borders, among other measures.
Also promised to be the voice of the forgotten popular classes by the State and that he will be a unit president. In token of this, he appointed his rival in the election, Aliot, as the party’s first deputy chairman.
During the day, however, the first accusations of “purge” against him had already been raised, when in announcing the new party executive he left out Steeve Briois, mayor of the town of Hénin-Beaumont and close to Le Pen.
Born in the Parisian district of Saint-Denis in an immigrant family of Italian origin, Bardella embodies wellat 27 years old, to a new generation of the old National Frontas the party was called until the refoundation promoted by Marine Le Pen in 2018.
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He joined the party at the age of 16 and Le Pen appointed him head of the list for the European elections in 2019, when he was not yet 24 years old. RN won those elections in France and Bardella became the second youngest MEP.
Of good presence and with talent to handle before the means, Bardella is also the partner of one of Le Pen’s nieces.
Jordan Bardella after knowing the results that make him the new leader of the National Association.
Reuters
This congress came at a time of strong controversy for the RN, after an alleged racist rebuke by one of its deputies (Grégoire de Fournas) led to the interruption of the National Assembly session last Thursday and caused a serious stir.
According to French political commentators, this incident – which cost De Fournas a 15-day suspension – has eroded the strategy of normalization and strengthening of the RN’s institutional profile promoted by Le Pen to legitimize the image of the far-right movement.
This Saturday, Bardella reiterated that the accusations about the racist comment are nothing more than a manipulation of his opponents to make a dent in the strength of the party.
