The historic leader of the French far right passed away at the age of 96. Her niece, Marine Le Pen, dreams of an early presidential election that she could win. The radical international, supported by Trump and Musk, continues to grow. A storm is blowing across Europe.
Jean-Marie Le Pen died at the respectable age of 96. With the departure of the historic leader of the National Front, an era is coming to an endthe one where his surprise arrival in the second round of the presidential election, in 2002 against Jacques Chirac, stunned the country. It was still a time when the extreme right was denounced, singled out, its danger explained in all the media.
Today, her niece Marine Le Pen is an essential candidate in the second round, barred by a Republican front which is losing strength from one election to the next. The strategy of demonizing the National Rally is working: a recent survey by the Jean Jaurès Foundation demonstrated that a growing number of French people believe that we should not fear his coming to power.
Without a last-minute surge, the National Rally could have won the legislative elections hands down, following the dissolution decided by President Emmanuel Macron. Since then, the far-right party has held fragile governments under its thumb who are trying to rule the Republic. And he benefits from the chaos.
The dream of power
“Engaged under the uniform of the French army in Indochina and Algeria, tribune of the people in the National Assembly and the European Parliamenthe always served France, defended its identity and its sovereignty”: this is how Jordan Bardella, president of the RN, salutes the memory of Jean-Marie Le Pen.
However, something has changed: if his successors speak of him as a “tribune of the people”, they now dream of occupying the highest offices. In a more subtle way than Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI), Marie Le Pen poses as mother of the nation and suggests that Emmanuel Macron, at the source of the current cgaos, should resign.
In the event of early presidential elections, which Macron refuses, she would have a chance of winning. Over time and political stagnation, the dam gradually fades. Republican Eric Ciotti has shown the way, others could follow and allow the far right to come to power.
A major obstacle: the trial over fictitious jobs in the European Parliament could prevent Marine Le Pen from running. Jordan Bardella is in ambush. With a smooth face and a displayed identification with Gaullism – denounced by its historical supporters.
All over Europe
The dream of the arrival of power, the extreme right cultivates it throughout Europe. This is already the case in Italy, the Netherlands, soon in Austria, without forgetting the “illiberals of Hungary or Slovakia.
The radical international continues to grow, pushed behind by the return of Donald Trump to the United States and boosted by the support displayed with great reinforcement of messages by Elon Muskthe entrepreneur who became the troublemaker of Make America Great Again. He openly displayed his support for the neo-Nazis of the AfD in Germany, with a view to the legislative elections in February. To Nigel Farage’s anti-migrant nationalists in the United Kingdom, too, by constantly denouncing the action of the Labor government.
Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, a brown storm recolored with a veneer of respectability could blow over Europe. In Belgium, if the Arizona government absolutely must see the light of day, it is also to prevent Vlaams Belang from taking advantage of possible early elections.
Times have changed, but the persistence of the threat remains. Anti-migrant nationalism has never provided constructive solutionsbut has always generated drama and destruction.
