He is only 29 years old and owes his stellar career to Marine Le Pen: Jordan Bardella could become the first presidential candidate of the "National Rally" who is not named Le Pen. Who is he?
The 29-year-old far-right French politician is from the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. The area north of the capital Paris is generally considered a troubled neighborhood – poverty and high crime are among its distinctive features.
Bardella likes to talk about how he grew up there in a high-rise apartment building as a child raised by a single mother. But he fails to mention that he also spent a lot of time with his father in wealthier neighborhoods, as well as that he studied at a private Catholic school. His family has Italian roots, the German public broadcaster ARD reports.
A meteoric rise in party career
From party spokesman and youth leader to leader of the European election list, Bardella has risen through the party hierarchy to become vice-chairman and finally interim chairman.
More than two years ago, he took over the helm of the "National Assembly" (NA), becoming the first party leader in the party's 50-year history not to be named Le Pen. At the time, however, Bardella was in a relationship with one of Le Pen's nieces.
How popular is Bardella in France?
Jordan Bardella is often in the media. His popularity has grown significantly since he rose to the party leadership position and in the polls he often beats Marine Le Pen, who leads the parliamentary faction of the "National Rally".
The presentation of his autobiographical book "Ce que je cherche" ("What I want") in late autumn was a marketing success. While many leading French politicians come from elite circles and are sometimes perceived by the population as distant and alienated from the people, Bardella is considered a down-to-earth man. To his supporters, he is simply "Jordan".
What is his relationship with Le Pen?
Bardella also owes his stellar career to Marine Le Pen, who took him under her wing after he joined the party - back when it was called the – National Front". Bardella is considered her protégé and her political stepson. The two like to demonstrate their closeness - after the court ruling against Le Pen, Bardella published a photo of himself and Le Pen hugging.
Can Bardella become head of state at such a young age?
In the early parliamentary elections last summer, the "National Rally" entered the race with Bardella as the leading candidate and put up posters with the inscription "Bardella Prime Minister". For a long time, polls showed that the far-right party with Bardella was the favorite to win the elections, but most surprisingly, the left-wing alliance finally prevailed.
The strength of the young politician lies in his statesmanlike behavior. During the election campaign, however, doubts crept in about his competence in specific areas of politics, such as economics, the German news agency DPA recalls.
Will Le Pen allow him to take over?
After Le Pen failed to enter the Elysee Palace in 2022 on her third attempt, it initially seemed that she would leave room for Bardella in 2027. Later, however, her ambitions to try again became clear. However, this will now not be possible after the court found her guilty of embezzlement of European funds and effectively removed her from the race for the next election.
Although she will appeal this decision, on Monday Le Pen hinted that her political successor, Bardella, could run in her place. "Jordan Bardella is a great asset to the party and I have been saying it for a long time. I hope we will not have to use this trump card sooner than necessary", ARD quotes her as saying.
How quickly can the Court of Appeal rule?
The Court of Appeal in Paris has already announced that it will consider a total of three appeals against Le Pen's conviction and will try to come up with a decision by the summer of 2026. If the outcome is favorable to her, Le Pen will still be able to run for the presidential election in 2027.