Jordan Bardella emerges as RN leader poised for potential 2027 presidential bid

Jordan Bardella, president of the far-right National Rally (RN), could become France’s youngest president if party leader Marine Le Pen remains barred from running, a court ruling expected on Tuesday may determine. Bardella, 30, has risen rapidly within the RN after joining the then-National Front at 17 and holds a strong approval rating amid the party’s current polling lead.

Bardella was born in 1995 and raised in Seine-Saint-Denis by his Italian-born single mother, Luisa, while his father, Olivier, lived in Montmorency and ran a drinks distribution business. He left university to pursue politics, becoming departmental secretary at 19 and a regional councillor for the Paris region at 20.

He credited Marine Le Pen’s leadership for his early attraction to the party and entered her inner circle through contacts linked to Frederick Chatillon. By 2017 Le Pen named him party spokesman, and in 2019 he became the European Parliament’s second-youngest MEP. At 27 he was elected president of the RN.

In a 2024 snap parliamentary election the RN took 33% in the first round, briefly bringing Bardella close to the premiership before a centre-left alliance won the second round. Since then his approval has remained around 40%, marginally higher than Le Pen’s 39%.

Bardella’s appeal rests on a flexible image that allows him to address diverse voter groups. Analysts describe him as ideologically ambiguous, combining standard RN anti-immigration rhetoric with outreach to young voters through social media, where he has two million followers.

He balances different audiences by promising to renegotiate aspects of France’s EU membership while assuring cautious voters he does not seek to “destroy anything.” He has proposed tying a full pension to a minimum of 42 years of contributions rather than lowering the retirement age, a stance that drew criticism from the RN’s older guard.

On immigration, Bardella aligns closely with RN policy, advocating limits on benefits for immigrants and an end to birthright citizenship. He has suggested a referendum on immigration as a first presidential move, though the constitution does not currently list immigration among subjects that can be directly decided by referendum without constitutional change.

On Europe and defence, Bardella rejects the party’s earlier call to leave the EU but calls for renegotiation of membership terms, including halving France’s EU budget contribution. He has proposed leaving NATO’s integrated command at some point but ruled out doing so while the war in Ukraine continues, and he opposed sharing France’s nuclear deterrent with European allies.

Bardella has cultivated links with Europe’s nationalist right, citing Italy’s Giorgia Meloni as a model and engaging with Poland’s PiS, while also seeking common ground with Germany’s Friedrich Merz and distancing himself from US President Donald Trump. As Le Pen’s legal appeal nears a verdict, Bardella has presented himself as ready to lead if necessary but prepared to defer to Le Pen should she be allowed to run.