[ad_1]
Jordan Bardella is the leader of the far-right party that inflicted a crushing defeat on French President Emmanuel Macron’s coalition in the European elections. Bardella, 28, is so confident that his supporters hail him as a “political miracle” but his critics say he lacks substance.
release:
3 minutes
BadlaGrowing up in a single-parent family, she officially became the leader of the anti-immigration party National Rally (RN) in 2022. She is only 27 years old, but her communication skills are comparable to those of much older politicians.
The National Front, led by Bardella, received twice as many votes in the European Parliament as Macron’s centrist coalition election — hint Macron The dissolution of parliament was announced on television and early elections were announced on June 30.
“France has rendered its verdict and there can be no appeal,” said Bardella, who had previously urged Macron to call elections.
“Our compatriots have expressed their desire for change and their demand for a future path,” he told supporters, adding that the election result showed “the determination of our country to make the European Union change direction.”
“This is a breeze of hope, this is just the beginning,” he said, calling Macron a “weak president.”
‘Not against Europe’
Bardella succeeds Marine Le Pen as leader of the National Party, who has been working to free the party from the racist and anti-Semitic legacy of her father and party co-founder Jean-Marie Le Pen.
Le Pen, who finished second in the past two presidential elections, remains the party’s leader in parliament and is widely expected to run again in 2027.
But her charismatic successor, who has 1.2 million followers on TikTok, is proving to be a vital asset in attracting growing numbers of young people to vote for the party.
Le Pen has said he would become prime minister if he wins the Elysee election in 2027. But there are rumors within the National Party that the young upstart may be a better fit for the job than his mentor.
The story carefully crafted by Bardella further embellished the image of the Nationalist Party, which Jean-Marie Le Pen once ran from a castle in a wealthy town west of the capital.
In 2022, the RN leader shared details of his childhood life on the eighth floor of a drab high-rise in the crime-ridden Seine-Saint-Denis area northeast of Paris.
During the campaign, Bardella was widely seen as having triumphed over little-known Macron party list chief Valerie Heyer in a televised debate.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, apparently uneasy about Heyer’s ability in a face-to-face debate, debated Badra himself on 23 May and succeeded in exerting considerable pressure on the National Army chief on European issues.
Attar sought to portray Badella as a party without substance, with no interest in Europe and a “self-serving, EU-ending vision”.
Badella countered: “I’m not against Europe. I’m against the way Europe is being run right now.”
With an eye on a major role to play in Europe after the election, Bardella has steered the National Assembly away from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) faction and said it would no longer sit with it after a series of controversies.
“Captain, oh captain”
Badella’s critics accuse him of spending too much time maintaining his public image and not enough time studying important political issues.
Far-left European lawmaker Manon Aubry called him a “ghost MP” because he had frequently not appeared in the European Parliament over the past five years.
And his rise has not been entirely without controversy.
In January, a French television station reported that he used an anonymous Twitter account to share racist comments while serving as a local elected official, which he strongly denied.
According to France 2 TV, a post published by the “RepNat du Gaito” account in 2017 contained an obscene picture mocking Theo Luhaka, a young black man who was hit in the anus with a baton and suffered serious injuries.
In January, a French court handed down suspended sentences to three officers in the case, a rare instance of police brutality going to court.
Experts point out that Badla has not completely changed the party’s belief system, but he still brings a youthful touch to the party.
“Captain, oh, Captain, we need you to guide us,” is the background music of his campaign post on TikTok.
(AFP)
[ad_2]
Source link
