Jordan Bardella

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Jordan Bardella
MEP
Official portrait, 2022
President of National Rally
Assumed office
5 September 2022
Vice President
Acting
In office
13 September 2021 – 5 November 2022
Vice President
  • Steeve Briois
  • Louis Aliot
  • David Rachline
Preceded byMarine Le Pen
Member of the European Parliament
Assumed office
2 July 2019
ConstituencyFrance
Vice President of National Rally
In office
16 June 2019 – 5 November 2022
PresidentMarine Le Pen
Preceded by
Succeeded by
  • Steeve Briois
  • Louis Aliot
  • David Rachline
National Director of Génération Nation[a]
In office
12 March 2018 – 4 July 2021
Preceded byGaëtan Dussausaye
Succeeded byAleksandar Nikolic
Spokesman of National Rally
In office
21 September 2017 – 16 June 2019
LeaderMarine Le Pen
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byLaurent Jacobelli
Member of the Regional Council of Île-de-France
Assumed office
18 December 2015
PresidentValérie Pécresse
ConstituencySeine-Saint-Denis
Personal details
Born (1995-09-13) 13 September 1995 (age 28)
Drancy, Seine-Saint-Denis, France
Political partyNational Rally (since 2012)
Other political
affiliations		Génération Nation (2012–2021)
Domestic partnerNolwenn Olivier (2020–present)
RelativesPhilippe Olivier (father-in-law)
Marine Le Pen (aunt-in-law)
Alma materParis-Sorbonne University

Jordan Bardella (French pronunciation: [ʒɔʁdan baʁdɛla]; born 13 September 1995) is a French politician who has been the president of the National Rally (RN) since 2022,[1] previously serving as acting president from September 2021 to November 2022 and as vice-president from 2019 to 2022. Bardella has also served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) since 2019, when he was the lead candidate for the RN in the European Parliament election, and has been a regional councillor of Île-de-France since 2015.

Before becoming acting president of the RN, Bardella served as vice-president from 2019 to 2021 and the party's spokesman from 2017 to 2019. From 2018 to 2021, he was also president of its youth wing, the Front National de la Jeunesse (FNJ), later renamed Rassemblement National de la Jeunessee (RNJ).

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

Jordan Bardella was born on 13 September 1995 in Drancy, Seine-Saint-Denis as the only child in a modest family of Italian origin.[2][3] The maternal side of his family immigrated to France from Turin in the 1960s. His paternal grandmother, a native of La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, is also partly of immigrant origin, with an Algerian father who came to France in the 1930s in Villeurbanne working as a labourer in the construction industry.[4] Bardella grew up in rent-controlled housing in Drancy, and would later claim to represent "modest origins and the social fibre" in politics.[5][6][7]

After receiving a high school diploma in economics and social sciences, he studied geography at Paris-Sorbonne University but dropped out to focus on politics.[8][9]

Beginnings in the National Front (2012–2017)[edit]

In 2012, Bardella became a member of the National Front (FN) at the age of 16, saying that he joined "more for Marine Le Pen than for the National Front".[10][11] He then became the FN department secretary of Seine-Saint-Denis in 2014 at the age of 19, making him the party's youngest ever departmental official.[12] From 16 February to 30 June 2015, Bardella worked as parliamentary assistant to FN Member of the European Parliament Jean-François Jalkh.[13] It was during this period that political observers began to consider him a leading figure on issues in the French banlieues within the FN.[14]

Bardella ran in the 2015 departmental elections to represent the commune of Tremblay-en-France. He and his fellow candidate, Christine Prus, lost in the second round with 41% of the vote.[15] In the 2015 regional elections the same year, he was a candidate at the head of the FN list in Seine-Saint-Denis and was elected to the regional council of Île-de-France.[16]

In January 2016, Bardella launched the organization Banlieues Patriotes. The group sought to "break with the politics of the city and reach out to voters in the forgotten territories of the Republic."[17]

He then became part of Marine Le Pen's campaign team in the 2017 presidential election, in which she finished second.[18] Bardella was himself a candidate for Seine-Saint-Denis's 12th constituency in the legislative elections the same year, where he was eliminated in the first round with 15% of the vote.[19][20]

Vice-President of the National Rally and Member of the European Parliament (2017–2021)[edit]

After the defeat of the FN in the 2017 presidential election and the resignation of Vice-president Florian Philippot, Bardella was appointed party spokesman alongside Sébastien Chenu and Julien Sanchez.[21][22][23] The following year, Le Pen also appointed him as president of the Front National de la Jeunesse (FNJ), which later became Génération Nation (GN).

At the age of 23, Bardella was designated as the first candidate on the National Rally list (as the FN was renamed in 2018) for the 2019 European Parliament election in France.[24][25] He was described as "the puppet of Marine Le Pen" by Libération and was also seen as inexperienced by many voters.[26][27] Nevertheless, the RN finished the election in first place with 23 seats and 23.3% of the popular vote, ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's La République En Marche. Bardella thus became the second-youngest MEP in European Union history after Ilka Schröder of Germany, who had been elected at 21.[28] Along with the rest of the FN delegation, he sits with the Identity and Democracy (ID) group in the European Parliament.[29] He is also a member of the European Parliament Committee on Petitions.[30][31]

Bardella was named second vice-president of the RN on 16 June 2019, and first vice-president in 2021.[32] He headed the RN list in the 2021 regional elections in Île-de-France, receiving 13.8% of the vote in the first round and 10.8% in the second. By contrast, the right-wing list led by Valérie Pécresse won with 46% of the vote.[33][34] Journalist Richard Werly attributed the defeat to Bardella's "inability to find a convincing regional angle despite his familial connections [to the region]" and "lack of depth in a university-educated region, having abandoned his post-secondary studies."[35]

Acting President of the National Rally[edit]

Bardella became acting president of the National Rally after Marine Le Pen resigned to launch her presidential campaign in the 2022 French presidential election.[36]

President of the National Rally (2022–present)[edit]

Bardella in the European Parliament in 2022

Bardella was elected President of the National Rally on 5 November 2022, beating Louis Aliot by 85% to 15% of party members who voted.[37]

Political positions[edit]

During his campaign in the 2019 European elections, Bardella stated that the two political priorities of his generation are the migrant crisis and the environmental crisis, saying that "if humans are responsible for what seems to be climate change, our economic model depends on it." He also opposed French entry into new free trade treaties.[38] Bardella additionally criticized the "punitive environmentalism" of the Macron government, which he argued was "criminalizing French people."[39]

In May 2019, Bardella was reported to have evoked the Great Replacement conspiracy theory during a televised debate.[40]

Bardella has expressed personal opposition to same-sex marriage on the grounds that it will open the door to surrogacy or medically assisted reproduction.[41] Nevertheless, he has also accepted that "for the majority of France, marriage for all is now a given" and stated his support for a citizens' initiative referendum on the topic in 2019. He has also stated he will not campaign to abolish same-sex marriage as leader of the National Rally, arguing that the debate on the matter is closed and it is part of French law, and that there are more pressing issues facing the country.[42] Bardella also advocates "cutting social services for people who illegally arrived in France" and legalizing cannabis for medical purposes.[43][44]

According to Le Monde, Bardella can "boast of having woven closer ties" with former Italian Minister of the Interior Matteo Salvini, whom he views as a role model. He is also believed to be close to Marine Le Pen's adviser Frédéric Chatillon, having at one point been in a relationship with his daughter, as well as Florian Philippot.[45][46] At the same time, Bardella has declared that he is close to Marine Le Pen.[47]

In 2021, he posted statements of support for Génération Identitaire, a far-right organization that had been dissolved by the French government for inciting racial hatred and violence, on Facebook. As a result, Facebook removed the posts and suspended certain features of his account.[48]

Court cases[edit]

Indictment regarding the city of Trappes[edit]

After Ali Rabeh, a Muslim, was re-elected as mayor of Trappes in 2021, Bardella described the city as an "Islamic republic" on the radio station Europe 1. He then announced on 2 February 2022, that he was indicted for this statement, saying "I am disappointed that the French justice system pursues the same goal today as the Islamists, to silence those who denounce real issues and those who oppose the transformation of countless neighbourhoods in France."[49][50]

Suspicions regarding fake employment at the European Parliament[edit]

In 2019, Challenges revealed that Jordan Bardella was part-time parliamentary assistant of the EU Member of Parliament Jean-François Jalkh during 2015, and that he was identified by the EU Parliament in 2017 as being part of the assistants linked to "irregular use of the parliamentary assistant compensation".[51][52] Le Canard enchaîné revealed later that he was similarly suspected by the European Anti-Fraud Office, since 2016.[53]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ When Bardella became President of Génération Nation the official name was "Front National de la Jeunesse" (FNJ).

References[edit]

  1. ^ "French far-right set to pick Bardella, 27, as Le Pen successor". France 24. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  2. ^ à 17h59, Par Valérie HacotLe 25 décembre 2018 (25 December 2018). "Jordan Bardella, le rajeunissement national". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 3 March 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "BARDELLA". iledefrance.fr. 13 September 1995.
  4. ^ Jean-Louis Beaucarnot, Le Tout-Politique 2022, L'Archipel, 2022, p.47
  5. ^ "Vu d'Italie. Jordan Bardella à la conquête des banlieues". Courrier international (in French). 10 May 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Européennes : Le Rassemblement national abat sa carte jeune". parismatch.com (in French). 27 December 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  7. ^ Berteloot, Tristan. "Jordan Bardella, poupée de Front pour les européennes". Libération (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  8. ^ "Le FN affiche sa volonté de (re)conquérir les banlieues". Le Monde.fr (in French). 3 September 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  9. ^ Kahn, Olivier (16 May 2019). "Politique. Jordan Bardella, l'insouciance de la jeunesse". vsd.fr (in French). Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  10. ^ magazine, Le Point (2 December 2015). "Régionales: Jordan Bardella, jeune candidat FN, mène campagne en Seine-Saint-Denis". Le Point.
  11. ^ JDD, Le (12 January 2019). "Européennes : Jordan Bardella, tête de liste du Rassemblement national aux airs de faire-valoir". lejdd.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  12. ^ "Les "jeunes loups" de Marine Le Pen". Les Echos Start (in French). 5 May 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Le passé caché d'assistant parlementaire de Jordan Bardella". Challenges (in French). 18 April 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Au FN, Jordan Bardella devient "M. Banlieues"". l'Opinion (in French). 8 October 2015. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  15. ^ l'Intérieur, Ministère de. "Résultats des élections départementales 2015". interieur.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  16. ^ à 20h36, Par Le 14 décembre 2015 (14 December 2015). "Découvrez les 17 élus du 93 au conseil régional". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "Le FN lance son collectif Banlieues patriotes". LEFIGARO (in French). 26 January 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  18. ^ à 07h00, Par Le 16 juillet 2014 (16 July 2014). "Le nouveau visage du FN". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ^ "Tout savoir sur Jordan Bardella, tête de liste RN aux élections européennes". CNEWS (in French). 7 January 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  20. ^ l'Intérieur, Ministère de. "Résultats des élections législatives 2017". interieur.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  21. ^ Samuel, Henry (13 January 2019). "Marine Le Pen backs 'poster boy for forgotten France' to win over Yellow Vests". The Telegraph. London.
  22. ^ "Après le départ de Philippot, Le Pen confie la communication du FN à Rachline". LEFIGARO (in French). 21 September 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  23. ^ à 21h18, Par St Le 21 septembre 2017 (21 September 2017). "Jordan Bardella nommé porte-parole du FN". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ "French far-right names 23-year-old as top candidate in EU elections". RFI. 7 January 2019.
  25. ^ Heath, Ryan (7 January 2019). "French far-right chooses 23-year-old as top EU candidate". POLITICO.
  26. ^ Sogl, Adam Sage, Paris | Video by Alexis. "Jordan Bardella: Fresh face of French far right gives Marine Le Pen hope for future". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 29 March 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  27. ^ Berteloot, Tristan. "Jordan Bardella, poupée de Front pour les européennes". Libération (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  28. ^ JDD, Le (12 January 2019). "Européennes : Jordan Bardella, tête de liste du Rassemblement national aux airs de faire-valoir". lejdd.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  29. ^ "Parlement européen. Le groupe du RN et de la Ligue devient " Identité et démocratie "". Ouest-France. 12 June 2019. Archived from the original on 29 March 2022. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  30. ^ Kayali, Laura (7 January 2019). "French far right picks 23-year-old to lead EU election campaign". POLITICO.
  31. ^ "Dans quelle(s) commission(s) parlementaire(s) siègent les eurodéputés français ?". Touteleurope.eu (in French). 20 July 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  32. ^ "Jordan Bardella promu 2ème vice-président du Rassemblement national". Europe 1 (in French). 16 June 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  33. ^ l'Intérieur, Ministère de. "Résultats des élections régionales 2021". interieur.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  34. ^ l'Intérieur, Ministère de. "Résultats des élections régionales 2015". interieur.gouv.fr (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  35. ^ "Jordan Bardella, héritier Le Pen par intérim". Le Temps (in French). 4 July 2021. ISSN 1423-3967. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
  36. ^ "Présidentielle 2022 : Marine Le Pen cède la tête du RN à Jordan Bardella et lance sa campagne". France Bleu (in French). 12 September 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  37. ^ "France's far-right party RN elects new president to replace Le Pen". The Guardian. 5 November 2022. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  38. ^ "Jordan Bardella : " Le meilleur allié de l'écologie, c'est la frontière "". Les Echos (in French). 7 April 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  39. ^ "VIDÉO – Écologie : "Arrêtons de vouloir criminaliser les Français", lance Bardella". rtl.fr (in French). 30 June 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  40. ^ "Jordan Bardella évoque le "Grand remplacement" sans le nommer" [Jordan Bardella evokes the "Great replacement" without naming it] (in French). France-Soir. 16 May 2019.
  41. ^ "On vous présente Jordan Bardella, tête de liste du RN aux européennes". KOMITID (in French). 17 December 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  42. ^ "Mariage pour tous : "Un acquis", selon Jordan Bardella sur RTL". 31 August 2019. Archived from the original on 31 August 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  43. ^ Jordan Bardella, du Rassemblement national :"Nous allons couper les aides sociales aux personnes qui sont clandestines dans notre pays." (in French), retrieved 30 March 2022
  44. ^ "Jordan Bardella, la tête bien lisse du Rassemblement national". Le Monde.fr (in French). 13 June 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  45. ^ Berteloot, Tristan. "Jordan Bardella, poupée de Front pour les européennes". Libération (in French). Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  46. ^ JDD, Le (12 January 2019). "Européennes : Jordan Bardella, tête de liste du Rassemblement national aux airs de faire-valoir". lejdd.fr (in French). Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  47. ^ Berteloot, Tristan. "Jordan Bardella, poupée de Front pour les européennes". Libération (in French). Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  48. ^ "Maréchal et Bardella "censurés" après des posts sur Génération identitaire? Facebook répond". Le HuffPost (in French). 22 February 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  49. ^ "Jordan Bardella annonce sa mise en examen pour ses propos sur Trappes". LEFIGARO (in French). 2 February 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  50. ^ "Jordan Bardella mis en examen pour ses propos sur Trappes qualifiée de "République islamique"". Europe 1 (in French). 2 February 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  51. ^ "Le passé caché d'assistant parlementaire de Jordan Bardella". Challenges (in French). 18 April 2019.
  52. ^ "Affaire des emplois fictifs du RN : les intox de Bardella". Challenges (in French). 26 April 2019.
  53. ^ "RN : Jordan Bardella soupçonné d'emploi fictif au parlement européen". LExpress.fr (in French). 8 May 2019.

External links[edit]

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