Who is the new face of the far-right in France challenging Europe?

In France, just days before the European Parliament elections, a young figure has emerged as the new face of the far-right in the country; Jordan Bardella, who is only 28 years old. Bardella, the new face of the far-right party 'National Rally', hopes to transform this party into a major political organization in France in the upcoming European Parliament elections. Despite being repeatedly accused of having 'empty programs' and being 'hypocritical', French voters are increasingly paying attention to him; so much so that polls indicate more than 30 percent of French voters' votes in the European parliamentary elections belong to the far-right party. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron's party has only managed to secure about 17 percent of the votes in polls so far. The far-right party in France, founded in the 1970s by Jean-Marie Le Pen, who is now 95 years old, has suffered for years from a lack of a popular and young face. With Jordan Bardella, it seems that this party has found its desired figure; someone who clenches his fists and smiles in selfies. Previously, Marine Le Pen, daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, had tried to portray a softer image of her party to the public and was somewhat successful. Jean-Marie Le Pen was known for anti-Semitism and racism. However, Marine Le Pen, who currently leads the far-right party in France, has managed to increase the party's votes in recent years; however, she has lost in the last three presidential elections in 2012, 2017, and 2022. Now even Marine Le Pen's hope rests on Bardella. Jordan Bardella, who first entered the European Parliament from the far-right party in 2019, has managed to establish himself fully in this party in less than five years. Gilles Finchelstein, a political researcher at the Jean Jaurès Foundation, believes: 'The National Rally party is becoming an inclusive party that has a presence in all categories and geographical areas.' While the far-right party relies on the votes of the masses, Mr. Bardella has always highlighted his 'popular past'. He, of Italian descent, was raised by his mother in one of the working-class suburbs of Paris and always claims to be familiar with the concerns of the French regarding declining purchasing power, increasing immigration, and insecurity. Bardella, who has been a member of the far-right party since the age of 17, was Le Pen's spokesperson in the 2022 election campaign. Now all observers are certain that, given Le Pen's repeated failures to reach the Élysée, Bardella is preparing for the 2027 presidential election in France. In the European Parliament elections, Bardella campaigns not about European issues but about French issues. Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen has announced that if she wins the presidential election, she will give him the position of Prime Minister. However, Bardella's presidential ambitions will be strengthened if he wins with a larger vote in the European Parliament elections. He has promised that if his party takes power, he will dissolve the French Parliament. The head of the far-right party in the European Parliament elections has also spoken more about domestic French issues than about issues related to the European Union. In this way, he has sought to express his opposition to the European Union, but his critics say that he lacks the necessary awareness about European issues and is fundamentally disinterested in these matters. His excessive absence in European Parliament sessions and silence on European Parliament issues have been criticized multiple times. For instance, in a press conference held a month ago, he evaded commenting on Macron's speech about Europe in front of reporters. Bardella, who has over a million followers on TikTok, is accused of presenting a fabricated image of himself to the media. Last Thursday evening, this far-right candidate held his first television debate with Gabriel Attal, the Prime Minister of France. In this debate, Mr. Attal strongly attacked him and questioned his 'lying' about his position on Europe. Attal told him: 'I am not like you who changes my opinion on everything. I do not deny responsibility for past statements. One moment we say we want to leave Europe, then we say we want to stay in Europe, we say we want to leave the Eurozone, and finally we say we want to stay in it.' In response, Bardella attacked Macron's government on immigration policies, stating: 'I believe all crimes and offenses are related to the government's inability to control immigration flows.' Among other things, he called for the re-imposition of tariffs at the French borders and a lack of support for Ukraine in its current war. The French Prime Minister also reminded once again of the far-right party's closeness to Vladimir Putin, stating that Bardella did not vote for a resolution in the European Parliament in support of Alexei Navalny when he was in prison. Attal, who has also been named the youngest Prime Minister of France in recent years, emphasized Bardella's age, saying: 'Being young is not enough to embody hope.'