After victory in the European elections, France’s right-wing populist National Rally (RN) wants to court other right-wingers, including those from the far-right Reconquest party, for the early parliamentary elections called by President Emmanuel Macron.
“I am fully prepared to enter into discussions with personalities who do not come from the National Rally and who share the ambition to bring some of our ideas to power within a few weeks and – also in the context of a cohabitation – to initiate the reconstruction of the country. the country,” RN party leader Jordan Bardella said in Paris on Monday evening.
In France, cohabitation means that the president and the prime minister represent different political directions.
Bardella had his first meeting on Monday with Marion Maréchal, Reconquest’s leading candidate for the European elections.
“I wanted to talk to her and talk about our current efforts to form the broadest possible majority,” Bardella said, adding that his party wanted to participate in the parliamentary elections together with other right-wing parties as a national union with the aim of the takeover of the government and the office of Prime Minister.
No agreements have yet been made with Maréchal, he says: “At the moment it’s all about discussions.”
National Rally received 31.36% of the vote in the European elections, while Reconquest received 5.47%.
Maréchal is the niece of National Rally parliamentary party leader Marine Le Pen and was active in her party before switching to the far-right rival party more than two years ago.
“It seems clear to me that the 1 million voters of Reconquest must participate in this momentum around the RN,” Maréchal said after an initial conversation with Bardella and her aunt.
National Rally would like to “work with those in Reconquest who have taken a constructive stance towards the RN.”
Reconquest leader Éric Zemmour, who is at odds with National Rally, could be an obstacle to a right-wing alliance. French media are also speculating about a return of Maréchal to National Rally.
