HÉNIN-BEAUMONT
The northern French town of Hénin-Beaumont is packed with traffic as crowds of young adults flock to see their idol, the party’s young president Jordan Bardella election speech.
– Jordan Bardella is young, dynamic and he knows what he’s talking about. I like his style and ideas, says the young entrepreneur Jean-Luc Pillez.
Northern French university student For Ambre Vandewa says he votes for the extreme right. So do most of his friends.
– I think it’s good that they defend French farmers and oppose excessively strict environmental regulations, Vandewalle says.
He is an example of the new young and educated electorate that Bardella has lured into the party.
In the past, young French people have had a more hostile attitude towards the extreme right than older generations. In the last EU elections, 15 percent of 18-24 year olds voted for the National Alliance. This summer, more than 30 percent of the age group plans to vote for the party.
The latest polls give Bardella’s National Alliance 32 percent of the French vote. President Emmanuel Macron the center-liberal Together coalition is second in opinion polls with 15 percent support.
It would therefore receive less than half of the support of the National Coalition, which would be a stinging loss of prestige for the pro-EU Macron.
Bardella emphasizes his humble background
28-year-old Jordan Bardella was raised by a family of Italian background, who spent his childhood in a rented house in a Parisian immigrant neighborhood.
Bardella has emphasized his modest background and said he represents ordinary, working France. Bardella is tall, smiling and well-dressed: in his dark blue suit, he resembles a young business manager whose speaking style is calm and deliberate.
Bardella’s influence can also be seen in the party’s election events. Journalists are treated more politely than before, and people allow themselves to be photographed.
– This is one party among others, and good manners are important at events, says Vandewalle.
The closing of France’s borders is cheered, Ukraine is hardly talked about
Bardella’s style is that of a long-term chairman of the party Marine Le Pen more polished, but the message is old familiar.
– When we are in power, France will take back control of its country. We will secure our borders and we will no longer accept refugee ships on our shores, Bardella said at the election conference.
Limiting immigration and preventing crime are the top themes of the party’s EU election program, which also get the biggest applause from supporters.
Bardella does not mention Ukraine in his speeches. The French far-right has a negative attitude towards increasing support for Ukraine, and the party has several pro-Russian candidates on its lists
However, all voters interviewed by hope that support for Ukraine will continue.
– Yes, France must continue to support Ukraine. In my opinion, military support should be increased, Jean-Luc Pillez says.
However, immigration is the most important theme for most young supporters.
– It is good that immigration is at the top of his agenda. As such, I’m not against people coming to France, but we shouldn’t take criminals here, and certainly not everyone who is willing, says a young factory worker Anthony Loysier.
The national coalition wants a looser Europe than the current one
France is the second largest member state of the EU, from which 81 Euro representatives are elected. So the French meps have a lot of weight.
On the other hand, the power of the French far-right in the EU Parliament is limited by the fact that the Identity and Democracy group of radical far-right parties, ID, is controversial. Le Pen announced a couple of days ago that the National Coalition will no longer agree to continue in the same group with Germany’s far-right AfD party. AfD was separated from the ID group, which will also break up the power relations in the upcoming parliament.
The French extreme right no longer supports leaving the EU or the euro or even abolishing the Commission. It promotes a kind of à la carte Europe, where member states could choose for themselves what kind of cooperation they participate in and what they don’t.
Referendum against Macron
However, the number one topic of the EU election campaign is the French President Emmanuel Macron, who is buzzing in the speeches of both candidates and voters.
– These elections are the last measure against Emmanuel Macron’s politics. They open a new way for France and Europe, Bardella shouted to the audience.
For a large part of far-right voters, it is a protest against Macron’s policies.
– I feel that Marcon has pushed us completely aside in his politics. He cares more about the well-off than us nurses or farmers. My measure is full, Virginie Piffault says.
Le Pen is already preparing for the 2027 presidential election
The far-right’s election speeches also make references to the next French presidential election, where Marine Le Pen is expected to run again.
A clear victory in the European elections would give Le Pen a boost and credibility. The elections will be held in 2027 and President Macron can no longer run for office in them.
Le Pen has faced Macron twice in the second round. He has steadily increased his support and, like the party, has polished his own image.
– Marine Le Pen will be the next president of France and Jordan Bardella will be the prime minister – I’m absolutely sure of that, he says Francois Maxine.