Meet Jordan Bardella, the man who could be France’s next prime minister

Marine Le Pen is the name that comes to mind when the far-right French National Rally party is mentioned, but it is her protégé Jordan Bardella who could be propelled to one of the most powerful positions in France after early elections.

Bardella rose through the ranks of the eurosceptic, anti-immigration National Rally (RN) to become its president in 2022, thanks to his youth, good looks and social media savvy that help attract young voters.

Soon, he could well become Prime Minister if the RN obtains an absolute majority in the next legislative elections – and he is only 28 years old.

Bardella’s rise from party spokesperson in 2017 to party president in five years is somewhat remarkable for a man only 28 years old. CNBC knows the truth about Bardella and his meteoric rise.

Born in 1995 in Drancy, Seine-Saint-Denis, a neighborhood that has become synonymous with deprivation, high crime rates and inadequate social housing, Bardella was the only son of parents of Italian origin, although the grandfather of his father was Algerian.

Bardella excelled in economics and social sciences at a private college and joined the Rassemblement National – then known as the National Front – at the age of 16. He then studied at Paris Sorbonne University, before abandoning his studies to concentrate on politics.

Bardella often touted his middle-class background to appeal to voters, experts say. The party has used it to attract French citizens, particularly those who have participated in the populist, anti-government Yellow Vest protests in recent years against the rising cost of living and economic inequality.

Political commentators point out that Bardella’s father was actually a successful businessman who lived in the affluent suburb of Montmorency, where Bardella spent much of his childhood after his parents’ divorce. Bardella and the RN nevertheless knew how to make the most of its “modest origins”.

“While many members of the French political establishment studied politics, Bardella studied geography before dropping out to focus on his political career. He is not shy about talking about his humble origins and is one of the “few leading politicians can draw on the experience of geographical disadvantage and marginalization,” wrote Joseph Downing, a visiting fellow at the European Institute at the London School of Economics, in a recent analysis.

“Even the leader of the far left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, although born to European settler parents in Morocco, does not have the qualities of Bardella,” he added.

Bardella’s rise to prominence has come under the leadership of party figurehead Marine Le Pen, with reports suggesting he came to her attention after dating the daughter of her close friend and confidant, Frédéric Chatillon . Indeed, a few weeks after meeting Le Pen in 2017, he was reportedly named party spokesperson. Two years later, he became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) before being appointed president of the party in 2022.

Bardella’s rapid rise within the party earned her the nickname Le Pen’s “lion cub,” but that was likely a more strategic move by the veteran politician as she sought to modernize the party and attract new voters.

Having a young and (some say) beautiful and popular political figurehead on social media – Bardella has 1.6 million followers on TikTok – softened the party’s far-right image and reputation, and strengthened the profile and appeal of the party to young people and female voters. The phenomenon has even been dubbed “Bardella mania,” as hundreds of young women attend campaign events to get a glimpse of the young politician on stage.

Bardella’s popular appeal has also fueled criticism of the far-right’s “poster boy.” Critics say his media savvy and anti-immigration and anti-crime rhetoric might appeal to the electorate as a “crie from the heart,” but it lacks substance and detail, with policy taking a back seat to secondary to advertising.

His electoral record as a member of the European Parliament has also come under scrutiny, with accusations that he supported certain issues, such as women’s rights regarding access to abortion, equal pay and immigration control measures, in public discourse, but would have been absent from the votes. on these issues in the European Parliament. Bardella denied the truancy accusations.

Bardella told voters he would “restore order,” curb immigration and tackle crime, but he and Le Pen walked back some of their most strident promises and rhetoric, backtracking on France’s exit from NATO, for example, and moderating the party’s traditional discourse. pro-Russian position. He said he would continue to support sending weapons to Ukraine, but not deploying ground troops, as Macron has suggested is a possibility.

“First, Le Pen and Bardella are trying to reassure voters and markets that they will not rock the boat,” Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg bank, said in a note last week.

“They place less importance on Le Pen’s previous budget demands (reversal of pension reform, significant tax cuts for young people and/or low-income citizens). Instead, Le Pen promises that an RN-led government would work with President Macron so as not to push back to the political center, the RN appears to have quietly abandoned the pro-Putin parts of its previous manifesto,” he noted.

Bardella’s chance at power comes from French President Emmanuel Macron’s shock decision to call early elections after the RN defeated his Renaissance party in June’s European Parliament elections.

The move is seen as a risky bet for Macron as it could greatly strengthen his far-right political rivals in the run-up to the 2027 presidential election. Analysts say Macron could be betting on the RN winning a role more important in French politics, but would fail to impress when he had more power, which would deflate him before the 2027 vote.

A handful of opinion polls taken in June show the populist-nationalist RN leading the polls with up to 35% of the vote, ahead of the left-wing bloc Nouveau Front populaire with 25-26% and the centrist alliance Ensemble of Macron in third position with around 19% of the vote.

Although a hung parliament is the most likely outcome of the vote, analysts say a strong performance by the National Rally will put pressure on Macron to appoint a prime minister from the party.

The prime minister would then have a say over France’s domestic and economic policy while Macron, as president, would remain in charge of foreign policy and defense.

The National Rally has already said Bardella would be its choice for prime minister if the party performs well, while party figurehead Marine Le Pen would be its candidate in the 2027 presidential election.

Bardella said last week he would only accept the post of prime minister if the RN obtained an absolute majority in the vote, with the RN likely balking at the prospect of leading a fragile and conflicted minority government.

For his part, Bardella recently stressed that he would “need an absolute majority to govern,” challenging his supporters to get out and vote.