The stakes of this Sunday’s vote are very important for Jordan Bardella. If the RN came out on top in the first round of the legislative elections, he hopes that his party will obtain an absolute majority at the end of the vote, allowing him to aim for the position of Prime Minister.
21:16 – Jordan Bardella denounces “political compromises”
In his speech to his activists, after the announcement that the National Rally did not ultimately come out on top in these legislative elections, Jordan Bardella castigated “these electoral agreements that throw France into the arms of Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s far left.” The man who was already presenting himself as a potential candidate for the post of Prime Minister in the event of an absolute majority for his party believes that “France is deprived of a majority, of a government to act and of a clear course to straighten out France.” He believes that “The National Rally is different from the other” parties, in that “it will not enter into any political compromise.” Let us recall that the Republicans who followed Eric Ciotti allied themselves with the National Rally for these legislative elections, leading to a major split within the historic right-wing party.
20:49 – Bardella: “the electoral agreements throw France into the arms of Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s extreme left”
Jordan Bardella spoke shortly after 8 p.m. and the announcement of results that do not place the National Rally in the lead in the second round of the legislative elections. “The RN has made the most significant breakthrough in its history,” he said, with the RN obtaining around 150 seats in parliament compared to 89 in 2022. “Tonight, these electoral agreements are throwing France into the arms of Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s far left.” The RN leader warned: “The momentum that carries the RN, which put it in the lead in the first round, and which allows it to double its number of MPs (…) are the constituent elements of tomorrow’s victory. France is deprived of a majority, of a government to act and of a clear course to straighten out France. For several months, hope has been rising and will never cease to breathe. Tonight, everything begins. The RN is different from the others. He will not enter into any political compromise.”
20:45 – Jordan Bardella hails “the most important breakthrough” in the history of the RN
While the polls until Friday evening announced a victory for the National Rally for this second round of the legislative elections, the ballot boxes decided otherwise according to the first partial results, which announce the New Popular Front in the lead, ahead of the presidential majority and the far-right party. When the results were announced, Jordan Bardella nevertheless wanted to salute the fact that “the RN has made the most important breakthrough in its entire history”. “The momentum that carries the RN, which put it in the lead in the first round, and which allows it to double its number of deputies (…) are the constituent elements of tomorrow’s victory”, he declared in front of his supporters. “For several months, a hope has risen and will never cease to blow. Tonight, everything begins.”
20:02 – Bardella’s RN defeated, what is the outcome?
This is the feeling, the first results published at 8pm this Sunday, July 7, see the RN far from its objective of an absolute majority. Worse, some polls even place it in 3rd position nationally in number of seats behind the New Popular Front and neck and neck with Ensemble. The RN would be credited with 130 to 160 seats of deputies, far from the absolute majority of 289 seats.
19:34 – Jordan Bardella denounces an “alliance of dishonor”
The RN president denounced the various NFP and Ensemble withdrawals for the second round. He deplores an “alliance of dishonor” and “unnatural between Mr. Mélenchon and Mr. Macron”. “I am quite surprised to see a president come to the aid of an extremely violent movement, which calls for insurrection, which wants, against all odds, to organize disorder in French society”, he added. For his part, the Prime Minister, in addition to wanting to block the RN, wishes to promote a future “plural Assembly with different political forces” which could, if necessary, agree on the most important points.
18:53 – “The real republican front is us”, judges Bardella
Jordan Bardella has made the duel with the New Popular Front a clear strategic axis during the second round of these legislative elections. “The real republican front is us,” he said in an interview published Tuesday by Le Figaro. “That’s the big difference with all the other elections. Two clear paths are open to France. Either the coalition of patriots and republicans that I lead, which defends France, but which also protects the Republic against those who want to destroy it and who want to sow trouble within it. Or the alliance of the worst – that of the extreme left – with the horizon of a Jean-Luc Mélenchon Prime Minister.”
18:23 – Do the French want Jordan Bardella as Prime Minister?
After the legislative elections, a change of Prime Minister is highly likely. However, according to an Ifop-Fiducial poll for Sud Radio, LCI and Le Figaro dated July 3, Gabriel Attal is seen as the one who would make a “good” head of government by 48% of French people after the elections. Conversely, 52% are against a new appointment of the current Prime Minister. Among the possible successors, Jordan Bardella is the one being sought after with 45% of French people considering that the president of the RN would be “good” in this role. The top three is closed with Raphaël Glucksmann and his 39% confidence. However, the latter has not declared himself for this position, unlike Jean-Luc Mélenchon who only has 20% positive opinions.
16:14 – Jordan Bardella wants to split Bercy
If he becomes Prime Minister, the RN leader would consider splitting the “Bercy fortress” in two, according to Le Figaro. He would like to create a ministry for “finance and public accounts” and another for “growth”. The responsibilities currently placed in the hands of Bruno Le Maire would then be divided between two ministers. “I already have the names in mind, and I have spoken to the interested parties who have accepted”, confided Jordan Bardella. In addition to these two ministers, a few deputy ministers would be added.
15:02 – Bardella accuses the NFP of hiding Mélenchon
Jordan Bardella has repeatedly called for a debate with Jean-Luc Mélenchon. He did so before the first round and repeated it for the second round. At each debate, the NFP sent different representatives but not the rebellious leader. During his speech on BFMTV on July 3, the latter declared that he wanted to debate with those who could become Prime Minister, namely “Gabriel Attal, outgoing Prime Minister who will not be reappointed on Sunday and Jean-Luc Mélenchon”. “The choice on Sunday is a choice between Jean-Luc Mélenchon Prime Minister or Jordan Bardella Prime Minister and the RN-LR alliance of Eric Ciotti that I lead”, he affirmed.
“What I don’t understand is why the entire NFP, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon has declared himself, he said at 8:10 p.m. last Sunday ‘I want to govern France’, all the political leaders of the Nupes are trying to hide Jean-Luc Mélenchon in the closet, it is perhaps that they are in reality hiding a violent and brutal project which are today the character traits that Jean-Luc Mélenchon expresses each time he speaks or expresses himself in the public debate”, he detailed.
14:34 – Problematic profiles within the RN, Bardella reacts
Several RN candidates in the legislative elections, including some who qualified for the second round, were singled out for conspiracy, racist, sexist, anti-Semitic or xenophobic comments or publications. Asked about this on France Bleu, Jordan Bardella assured: “I have never had any tolerance for comments that I consider to be contrary to my convictions and especially to the political line that I defend”. Some of the candidates thus had their investiture withdrawn. He called these candidates “black sheep” and explained that with the dissolution, the RN had to choose representatives very quickly but that “99.9% of them are respectable and respected personalities”.
14:05 – Jordan Bardella not ready for Matignon?
In the opposition, many political figures believe that Jordan Bardella is not ready to be Prime Minister, due to his young age (28 years old) and his lack of experience. Marine Tondelier, national secretary of the Ecologists, added another layer on BFMTV a few days before the second round. She criticized the RN leader for refusing to debate with her. According to her, “when you refuse to debate, in such an important election when you are aiming for Matignon, it is a little complicated”. She assures that Jordan Bardella “would not last 24 hours in this position”. She also believes that the president of the RN “is putting on a show of having been coached by the best communicators in the world to do media training” but that in the end it is just “puffing”.