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

Marine Le Pen is the name that comes to mind when people think of France’s far-right National Rally party, but her protégé Jordan Bardella could be pushed into the party after a snap election One of the most powerful figures in France.

Bardera’s youth, appearance and social media savvy have helped attract younger voters as he rose through the ranks of the Eurosceptic and anti-immigration National Rassemblement (RN), becoming the party’s president in 2022.

Soon, if RN wins an outright majority in the upcoming parliamentary elections, he is likely to become Prime Minister – and he is only 28 years old.

For someone who is only 28 years old, Bardera’s promotion from party spokesman in 2017 to party chairman in the span of five years is somewhat remarkable.

Born in 1995 in Drancy, a northern suburb of Paris Seine-Saint-DenisIn a region that has become synonymous with poverty, high crime rates and inadequate public housing, Bardera is the only child of Italian-American parents, although his father’s grandfather was Algerian.

Bardera excelled in economics and social sciences at a private university and joined the National Rally (then known as the Front National) at the age of 16. politics.

Experts say Bardera often touts his average background to appeal to voters, particularly those who may have participated in the recent anti-government Yellow Vest protests over rising costs of living and economic inequality.

Political commentators pointed out that Bardera’s father was actually a successful businessman who lived in the affluent suburb of Montmorency, where Bardera spent much of his childhood after his parents divorced. However, Badla and the RN made the most of his “humble origins.”

“While many in 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 beginnings and is one of the few high-profile people able to capitalize first. One of the politicians – Joseph Downing, a visiting fellow at the Institute of European Studies at the London School of Economics and Political Science – wrote: In a recent analysis.

He added: “Even far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, although born in Morocco to European settler parents, lacks some of Bardera’s parliamentary property qualifications.”

Bardera’s rise has been fueled by the support of party leader Marine Le Pen, who reportedly caught her attention after dating the daughter of her close friend and confidant Frédéric Chatillon. In fact, he was reportedly appointed party spokesman within weeks of meeting Le Pen in 2017. Two years later, he became a member of the European Parliament (MEP) and in 2022 became party president.

Bardera’s meteoric rise within the party has earned him the nickname Le Pen’s “Lion Cub,” but it may be a more strategic move by the veteran politician as he seeks to modernize his party and attract new voters.

Having a young and (some say) handsome politician popular on social media — he has 1.6 million followers on TikTok — has softened the party’s far-right image and reputation and boosted Bardera’s The party’s image and appeal among young people and female voters. This phenomenon is even known as “Badra Mania” Hundreds of young women attended campaign events to catch a glimpse of the young politician on stage.

Bardera’s popularity has also fueled criticism of the far-right “poster boy”. Critics say his media insights and rhetoric on tackling immigration and crime issues may appeal to voters as a “heartbeat cry,” but he lacks substance and specifics and policies take a back seat.

His voting record as a member of the European Parliament has also come under scrutiny, with accusations that he has supported certain issues in his public rhetoric, such as women’s rights on abortion and equal pay, as well as immigration control measures But has been absent from European Parliament votes on such issues. Bardella denied the allegations of absence from work.

Bardera has Tell voters he will “restore order,” curb immigration and tackle crime But he and Le Pen have backed away from some of their tougher promises and rhetoric, such as backing off on withdrawing France from Nato, and toned down the party’s traditionally pro-Russian stance. He said he still supported arms shipments to Ukraine but not the deployment of ground troops, as Macron had suggested.

“First of all, Le Pen and Bardela are trying to reassure voters and markets that They won’t rock the boat.

“They de-emphasized Le Pen’s previous fiscal demands (reversal of pension reform, significant tax cuts for young and/or low-income citizens). Instead, Le Pen promised that a government led by RN would work with President Macron. As politics Center, RN seems to have quietly abandoned the support for Putin in its previous manifesto,” he noted.

Bardera owes his rise to power to French President Emmanuel Macron’s shock decision to call early elections after RN finished ahead of his Ennahda party in the European Parliament elections in early June.

This move is considered It’s a risky gamble for Macron because it could significantly strengthen his far-right political rivals ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Analysts say Macron may have bet on the RN taking a bigger role in French politics but failed to impress when it had more power, weakening it ahead of the 2027 vote .