In the European Parliament elections from June 6 to 9 in the European Union, the French far-right party, Rassemblement National (RN), or National Rally, became the largest party nationally, winning 31.5% of the vote under President Emmanuel Macron. the coalition won only 14.6% of the vote share. Encouraged by the results and in an effort to dislodge the far-right forces, Mr. Macron called for a snap election, which will be held on June 30 and July 7. However, experts say this political gambling can fail as the leader of the RN parliamentary party. and the president, Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, respectively, have gained a lot of ground with the former dubbed as one of the most popular politicians in the country.
For a country that once had an ‘Anything but Le Pen’ mantra, the rise of the RN has come after years of strategic maneuvering. During this phase, RN, under the leadership of Ms. Le Pen, having distanced herself from her fascist roots, has become more acceptable to French voters and elites.
‘Republic Devil’
The roots of the RN go back to the 1960s, a turbulent period in French history. The Algerian War, which led to the North African country’s independence from France; the establishment of the Fifth Republic (current French system of government); and the May 1968 protests by university students and trade unions, bringing neo-Nazi and far-right groups together, under the banner of the so-called Ordre Nouveau (ON), or New Order, in 1969. The neo-fascist organization, it proposed a ‘defense West’ by banning political parties and establishing a fascist state. It is also anti-immigrant and called to preserve the ‘white race’.
However, for fear of being left on the sidelines of the political discourse, ON wants to enter the electoral region. They want the leader to be the face of the movement. He voted for Jean Marie Le Pen. An Algerian war veteran, the 44-year-old was considered a suitable candidate to lead the ON electoral party, the National Front (FN), or National Front, in 1972.
The point is
The roots of the National Rally go back to the Ordre Nouveau, a neo-fascist party, formed in 1969, which called for the banning of political parties and the preservation of the ‘white race’.
ON formed an electoral party, the Front National (FN), which contested the 1973 elections under the leadership of Jean Marie Le Pen, a far-right veteran of the Algerian war.
Marine Le Pen, daughter of Jean Marie Le Pen, later took over the reins of the party and brought it into the mainstream by separating herself from her father and changing the name of the FN to the National Rally.
However, the time between ON and FN was short-lived as Mr Le Pen quickly took control of the party. In the 1973 elections, the FN campaigned on the basis of conservative values ​​such as the ‘depoliticization’ of education, defending small businesses, asking mothers to stay at home, etc., with the radical tendencies of the ON nowhere to be found.
Regardless of the break from ON, Mr. Le Pen, while leading the FN from its formation until 2011, did not get the approval of the general election. He participated in the presidential election five times, even passing the second round in 2002, a major victory. At the same time, he has been controversial for his anti-Semitic comments and efforts to deny the holocaust. The mainstream media and the party considered him a threat to the idea of ​​French democracy, calling him the ‘Devil of the Republic’.
A thorough detox
How did FN (now RN) become so popular in France? There is usually only one answer – Marine Le Pen. In 2011, Mr Le Pen was succeeded by his daughter as FN president. Compared to her father, Ms. Le Pen appears to be more moderate. He strove to distance himself and his party from his controversial statements. These efforts eventually led to Mr Le Pen being expelled from the party in 2015. To break ties with his father, he changed the party’s name from Front National (FN) to Rassemblement National (RN) in 2018.
However, the rebranding did not go smoothly. Ms. Le Pen needs to take back some of her own views. For example, in 2017, he said that the Euro was an ‘economic failure’, and that the European Union had become too globalist, limiting France’s growth. He supports ‘Frexit’, along the same lines as the UK’s Brexit. He is now, however, softened the position of the party and is officially dubbed as an EU-skeptic.
RN’s main policy is based on immigration and ‘national priorities’. The party is strongly opposed to immigration. It calls for the deportation of all ‘illegal’ immigrants, strict border controls, the abolition of birthright citizenship, and more. invite now.
In addition, conspiracy theories such as the ‘terrorist invasion’ in France and violent incidents where a school teacher was killed by extremists in 2020 for showing a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad, and more recently the killing of a 17-year-old boy. Algerian and Moroccan descent by police officers, has raised concerns about security and possible cultural conflicts in the country. RN spokespeople have always considered that certain immigrants (read Muslims) do not properly ‘integrate’ into French culture and do not adhere to the French principle of ‘laïcité’ (separation of religion and state). Furthermore, the party advocates a ‘France first’ attitude, where the RN promises to prioritize French citizens when it comes to employment, housing and social benefits.
The RN thus grew as a populist right-wing movement as can be seen in the jump of Mrs. Le Pen during the presidential election – from 34% in 2017 to 41% in 2022. A survey published in December 2023 by Franceinfo and Le Monde showed that 45% of those interviewed believe that the RN “does not represent a danger to democracy in France”, while 41% believe the opposite. Mrs. Le Pen has also appealed to a wider audience by defending women’s rights (in opposition to Islam’s patriarchal practices) and advocating for the environment.
The Bardella effect
RN balances protectionist economic policies with populist ones such as increasing public spending. It is very critical of Mr. Macron’s move to increase the retirement age, and has promised to play back with time. In addition, RN has promised to reduce VAT on energy, fuel and some other important products. The city remained in the south of France, including rural towns, and also entered the industrial provinces of the north.
However, the appointment of Jordan Bardella, a 28-year-old protégé of Ms. Le Pen and the candidate for prime minister from the RN, have brought even white-collar workers to participate. They also appeal to the youth who after the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis due to the Russia-Ukraine war and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis are shifting to the right in reaction to establishment politics.
With Mr Bardella’s skill and Ms Le Pen’s plan, the RN will win the first round of the French election with 35% of the vote, new polls predict. However, while RN policies are popular, this does not make them devoid of ‘extreme’ characteristics. The ‘France first’ policy was against the Constitution. Mrs. Le Pen has said she will call for a referendum to change the Constitution. In addition, the RN’s proposal to reduce VAT and reduce the retirement age could increase France’s debt burden, which is currently estimated at more than 5% of GDP. It remains to be seen whether the RN’s populist policies and leadership will come at the expense of the Fifth republic.
