Jordan Bardella has positioned himself as the National Rally’s potential presidential candidate as Marine Le Pen fights a court ban from holding public office.
Speaking to Le Parisien newspaper this weekend, Bardella has signalled his intention to stand as the French far-right National Rally’s presidential candidate in 2027, should party leader Marine Le Pen be barred from running.
56-year-old Le Pen, a three-time presidential candidate and a strong contender for the upcoming election, was banned from holding public office for five years after a court in March found her and several party members guilty of misusing public funds.
French court hands Le Pen five-year election ban in fake jobs case
She has firmly denied any wrongdoing and announced plans to appeal the decision, which she claims is politically motivated and designed to derail her presidential ambitions.
Bardella, the 29-year-old president of the far-right party and member of the European Parliament, was not implicated in the case.
Until now, he has largely sidestepped questions about entering the presidential race himself.
"If she is unable to stand, I will be Marine Le Pen's candidate for 2027," Bardella told the newspaper.
Slideshow: Le Pen supporters gather in Paris, turning a protest into a populist show of force
Le Pen 'presumed innocent'
Bardella further clarified his position, stating: “There is no ambiguity – Marine Le Pen is my candidate. But if she were prevented from standing, I believe I can now tell you that I would step up as the candidate. I cannot be any clearer than that”.
He added: “Marine is presumed innocent, and we will continue to use every possible means to defend our innocence in this affair".
Under French law, any citizen over the age of 18 is eligible to run for the presidency.
The case centres on allegations that Le Pen and other party officials used European Union funds to pay staff working for National Rally in France.
