Jordan Bardella, a 28-year-old politician, helped the French far-right party win big in the European Parliament elections thanks to its appeal to young voters.
“My generation of patriotic activists will become the generation of leaders. We will not only win the European Parliament elections, but we will also win the presidential elections. The future will be completely different.” , Jordan Bardella, president of the National Front (RN) party, declared in an interview with the magazine TIME in mid-May.
Bardella’s statement became half-true. Nearly two years after succeeding Marine Le Pen as party leader, this 28-year-old politician shocked the political scene when he led the RN to an overwhelming victory in the last European Parliament (EP) election. last week.
Polls showed the RN had 33% of the vote, double what President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Renaissance party won. Stunned by this defeat, the French President decided to dissolve the parliament and hold early elections, hoping to stop the advance of the RN and far-right parties.
Magazine TIME called Bardella “the new face of the far-right movement in Europe”. Marine Le Pen, 55 years old, former RN president and French presidential candidate, once called Bardella a “little lion” when choosing him as his successor as party president. Now, she calls Bardella the “lion” of French politics.
“We are witnessing the ‘Bardella Phenomenon’. Voters want to see Mr. Macron defeated. Bardella, in some way, has transformed himself into a new political choice for the people, representing the right and extreme right,” party consultant Republican (LR) commented to Politico at the end of last month.
National Front (RN) Party Chairman Jordan Bardella in an interview on BFMTV on May 2. Image: AFP
Bardella, who owns a TikTok account with more than 1.2 million followers, has a great influence on young people in France.
According to a survey by Ipsos and newspapers The world In April, about 1/3 of French voters aged 18-24 said they personally supported the RN leader when going to the polls. On French social networks, many young people call Bardella an idol, or representative of “forgotten France”, and proudly share selfies with the young politician.
“He successfully used social networks to reach the younger generation and campaign effectively,” said Anne Muxel, research director of the Center for Political Research (CEVIPOF) at the University of Political Science. France, comment.
“Le Pen has been playing the card of young voters for many years, mentioning them in every speech, whether aimed at rural, working-class, unemployed voters and communities that are not valued by society. RN is one of the parties most open to young people. Bardella is a symbol of this strategy,” Muxel said.
RN leaders have carefully built their image to create the highest impact with young voters. Jordan Bardella comes from a middle-class, working-class Italian immigrant family, with his mother working as a kindergarten nanny and his father running a soda vending machine business.
He grew up in the Gabriel Peri social housing complex in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, an area often mentioned in media reports about drug crime and violence. Bardella’s parents divorced when he was young and he lived with his mother. Bardella joined the RN as a teenager, then dropped out of college to become politically active.
Having both an immigrant background, an upbringing close to a group of young people with many social discontents, and an image of ambition and early success, Bardella is the “dream” combination of Ms. Marine Le Pen to Leading the RN in major elections.
She once admitted that Bardella is a new generation of the right-wing movement when “free from all the discrimination that once surrounded the National Front vote”, including the scandal of denying the Holocaust (Jewish genocide in World War II).
“Young people often admire those who are not immersed in life’s troubles. I have met many young people from all social groups. Whether they are urban or rural people, they are all excited. Bardella has similarities with Macron in 2017. He is both handsome and inspiring to win,” commented Pierre-Romain Thionnet, president of RN’s youth movement.
Not only does it attract the votes of young voters, the “Bardella Phenomenon” also affects the group of elderly voters who find it difficult to change their stance. A survey from IFOP in April recorded that about 23% of voters over 65 years old supported Bardella and the RN party, higher than the 19% recorded in 2019.
Jordan Bardella with Ms. Marine Le Pen (center) at a voter mobilization event in Marseille in March. Photo: AP
However, Bardella’s advancement in French politics also encountered many controversies.
French media in January accused him of using an anonymous account on social network X to comment and share discriminatory content against people of color. Observers also suspected Bardella of fabricating the story of “overcoming difficulties”, claiming that his father was also well-off, with enough money to send him to private school and travel abroad.
Politicians confronting RN also criticized Bardella for focusing too much on promoting his image, but lacking strength and not understanding enough about politics. Manon Aubry, a far-left politician in the European Parliament, sarcastically called the RN leader a “ghost parliamentarian” because he was often absent from meetings.
“While I have bags under my eyes and hair loss, he is always handsome, wearing suits and groomed hair,” a politician in Macron’s Renaissance party once commented.
However, with this year’s European Parliament elections, Bardella’s influence on French politics has been recognized. According to Mathieu Gallard, research director of survey firm Ipsos, Mr. Macron’s appointment in January of Mr. Gabriel Attal, 34 years old, to become the youngest prime minister in French history “is certainly partly to cope with the upward momentum.” by Bardella”.
The upcoming French parliamentary election, scheduled to hold the first round on June 30 and the second round on July 7, will become a battle between two “students” of Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. Prime Minister Attal is steadfast in his vision of France closely linked to the borderless common market of the European Union (EU), social justice and combating climate change.
Meanwhile, Bardella supports Ms. Le Pen’s anti-immigration policy, “France first” protectionism and demands to “change the way” European politics operates.
“France has made a decision and cannot appeal. The people have not only shown their desire for change, but have also chosen their future path,” Bardella commented on June 9, supporting the re-election of the National Assembly. France. “The country wants the EU to change direction. This breeze of hope is just the beginning.”