An x-ray of the French far right: what has happened to make extremists aspire to the Elysée?

French far right He has been distributing ballots in markets, towns and subway stations across the country for two weeks. Marine Le Pen and his right hand, Jordan BerdellaThey lead all the surveys and election polls. National team participates for the first time with “serious” options of access to the Elysee Palace. The last – and only – time when a fascist was at the head of government was eight decades ago during the so-called Vichy Regimecollaborators with the Nazis. Why have these speeches become prevalent again?

that creates animosity Emmanuel Macron and the desire to do something different are two factors that could explain the rise of the far right in France.”Macronism has been completely weakenedBecause it has implemented policies of social cuts and neoliberal measures, which have had an impact. The party sank in all surveys.people are dissatisfied and willing to try their luck with a new alternative (in this case, the National Group)”, he explains. Aldo RubertResearcher and professor of political sociology at the University of Lausanne.

On 9 June the French President announced the dissolution of the Cortes upon learning of his party’s results in the European elections. The extreme right managed to get 31.37% of the votes And the percentage of Macronists doubled. “Le Pen celebrated the electoral lead because she started out as a winning horse. Macron thought that, in a possible second round against the extreme right, he could get the vote of the left. The reckoning has been disastrous, as the left has united And they will definitely go for that second round. “The anti-Macronists see in the far right a real option to get rid of Macron,” the teacher adds.

French left failed miserably in several of its attempts at merger during Seven years of Macron’s government. A week earlier, the various parties that make up the Progressive Group reached an agreement to block the extreme right and participate in the elections under the same acronym: New Popular Front“Le Pen and Bardella believe that the left-wing group is their rival to beat, because it’s going to be between them,” he explains. Uxía CarolProfessor at the Carlos III University of Madrid.

“This time the campaign consists of launching attacks against Emmanuel Macron. they save the move to shoot to the left for the second round,” the investigation’s author added. Organizational communication strategy on social networks: Electoral analysis of the French extreme right on Twitter. The latest survey was published last Monday Figaro Forecast A Estimated 36% votes For ultra training, half a point higher than the previous survey by the same demographic institution.

Le Pen and Bardella: same book, different cover

National team This Sunday’s election comes with the challenge of making its candidate the prime minister, Jordan Berdella. However, sources consulted by this newspaper admitted that he would have difficulty securing a sufficient majority in a second vote.”The French far right presents its candidate (Jordan Bardella) as the ideal son-in-law. This is the message they spread through the relevant press and social networks. It is a way to tarnish his image and make him president, to completely destroy his ideology,” he warned. Cristina Fernández RoviraJournalist and political scientist.

Bardella is 28 years old and does not present himself as a typical politician. The president of the National Group boasts that he grew up in the neighborhood Saint-Denis (Paris)Where 30% of residents are migrants, according to data from the Institut National de Statistique et des Etudes Economiques (INSEE). The message is not accidental: Immigration control is central to the French far-right government’s program.Security, tax on large wealth, “national priority” and reindustrialization of France are its other major proposals.

Marine Le Pen surpassed her father’s results in 2017, Jean-Marie Le Penas party leader. However, the surname still holds enough significance to propose a change in leadership.”Le Pen is the face of the National Front -the name of the party until 2018–that’s why not many people joined them. Bardella does not represent those acronyms, but rather the national group. Candidates from different provinces campaign for Bardela“Uxía Carol says. Le Pen manages to retain the most radical right and, on the other hand, Bardella captures the vote of young people and the more moderate sector.

“Demonization” of militants.

He Change of voice And the candidacy has allowed the Ultra party to connect with a broader and more heterogeneous public, two factors that the Lepenist tide had never managed to combine.”Press says National Group has taken a pragmatic turn to become a more formal party. That’s not true, because they have always tried to show a certain moderation. The changes have allowed their leaders to become president, but the ideology is the same,” he stressed. arsenio cuencaResearcher at L’Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris.

Sources consulted public agree on a battery of national group proposals when defining it as “Minimum Program“To woo those indifferent to French splendor.” Le Pen and Bardella defend that the French will always have to be on top. What they say is that France and the French people – imagined in a reactionary way – would be better off without so much migration, because They share the mantra that racist people are to blame for the crisisViolence and conflict,” the professor continues. The party proposes, among other issues, to withdraw social assistance to families with repeat offender children and to leave migrants without public health care.

French far right Has been proposed as a governance option since the 2017 presidential elections Le Pen faces Macron in the second round. At that time people united with the challenge of cornering the militants. Now the scenario is different, basically because of this “dediabolization” From Agrupación Nacional. “This takes place in a media sector that is deeply right-wing. The information chain is in the hands of Vincent BolloréA businessman who fills the sets with talk shows that normalize the speeches of the extreme right and spread rumors against the left,” denounces Aldo Rubert.

Who votes for the far right in France?

Lepenism flourishes particularly in the working class and in rural areas, where the feeling of “forgetfulness” spreads more strongly. However, the map is quite skewed. “The extreme right articulates the class boundary very well: the fight must be against those at the bottom. This guarantees that there will always be people (worse off) than their voters. The voter of the National group belongs to the lower-middle class who resign themselves to being lower class.It is a population of popular origin that is living in fear of losing what it has,” the sociologist highlighted.

Far-right supporters believe “Talent“And they defend that the way one progresses in life has an economic component.”People study economic reality, but through a racial lens. This is one of the keys to the success of the French extreme right. We cannot explain its development without this hostility”, concludes Aldo Rubert. Historically, Le Pen seemed to fare better in less urbanised areasbut there has been a “modest” change in voter behavior. “At the moment there are no such clear regional differences,” suggests Uxía Carol. The Europeans’ result is the straw that breaks the camel’s back after many years of discontent with Macronism. Emmanuel Macron does not even appear on the election posters Of his party.

“The scenario is quite disappointing, because the left cannot reach the great strongholds of the national group. The extreme right, often, cannot do that, but they manage to gather the votes of the angry people. Le Pen and Bardella are presenting the campaign as a response to the regime“, Arsenio Cuenca explained. Experts believe that many abstainers will vote for the Lepenism candidate this Sunday. Social networks also play a fundamental role, in fact, three out of every four videos have been anticipating a possible celebration for weeks.”They don’t consider themselves winners, but they insist that they are the first option to split votes and fight for an absolute majority,” say sources.