The National Rally hopes to see Jordan Bardella appointed Prime Minister following the legislative elections. But who will be minister if a Bardella government emerges? Rumors are already circulating.
“We are ready to exercise power if the French trust us. We are ready to restore the country, ready to revive France.” Marine Le Pen set the tone after the announcement of the dissolution of the National Assembly by Emmanuel Macron on June 9 and heralded, with her speech, the return to the campaign of the National Rally with a view to the legislative elections. She also set the objective: to become a majority in the lower house of Parliament and to settle in Matignon.
If Marine Le Pen assures that her party is “ready” to govern, it is because a “Matignon Plan” has been at work for several months in the corridors of the RN. The party has already agreed on the name of who it wants to see at the head of government and has designated its president, Jordan Bardella – the boss reserving herself for the presidency in the event of victory in 2027. But a Once the role of Prime Minister has been assigned, there remains an entire government to form and some names seem more ministerable than others.
The RN’s “shadow cabinet”
Jordan Bardella’s party seems to have adopted a strategy usually in place in Anglo-Saxon political spheres, that of the “shadow cabinet” – or “shadow cabinet” in English”. This common practice in the English Parliament, pushes the main party of opposition to set up a sort of parallel and unofficial government with its most influential elected officials. This shadow cabinet supposed to follow and master the various government subjects to prove the party’s capacity to govern, especially served the RN to make a selection of. personalities considered capable of becoming ministers in a government led by Jordan Bardella.
Interviews were conducted by the RN MEP, Philippe Olivier, with various elected officials from the party with the aim of forming a government according to Provence. A mission commissioned by Marine Le Pen herself to train “specialists” for each government portfolio to be filled.
Who could become minister under Jordan Bardella?
The strategy of the “shadow cabinet” seems to have borne fruit since several names of elected representatives of the National Rally considered ministerial are circulating while the hypothesis of a Bardella government must be considered in view of the results of the polls on the legislative elections. The latter put the RN in the lead and in a position to become the majority group in the National Assembly.
Among the most widespread rumors is that of the appointment of MEP and professional magistrate Jean-Paul Garraud to the Ministry of Justice. The Defense portfolio could go to MP Laurent Jacobelli depending on Provence. Other names are also mentioned: Thierry Mariani who is a former minister of Nicolas Sarkozy or even Sébastien Chenu could also land in an RN government according to BFMTV.
But there are many technical ministries to be allocated, including high-profile ministries such as the Economy, Education and Health. Several could be allocated according to the specialties of the elected officials, the deputy Joëlle Melin who is a former liberal doctor could therefore be considered for Health. But the RN is ready to draw from among all its elected officials, even those who have just been appointed to the European Parliament: Malika Sorel, Fabrice Leggeri or even Pierre Pimpie, respectively 2nd, 3rd and 25th on the list of Europeans, would thus be considered as potential ministers. The National Rally could also decide to review the number of ministries or their fields of action, in particular to create a ministry of taxation and fraud at the head of which MP Franck Allisio can imagine.
Ministers from the right and other parties?
A Bardella government could not, however, include only ministers from the National Rally, because certain alliances formed during the legislative elections would have to be honored. Personalities from the extreme right, but foreign to the party could therefore be named such as Marion Maréchal who called for support for the RN candidates and the union of the rights. Certain politicians from the Les Républicains party having shown themselves favorable to the alliance desired by Eric Ciotti between LR and the RN could also be appointed to a government led by Jordan Bardella, which still remains hypothetical.