Stacy Meichtry and Noemie Bisserbe of The Wall Street Journal report that Jordan Bardella, a protégé of the opposition’s Marine Le Pen, is helping attract younger voters to her anti-immigration party. They write:
For a glimpse into what the future holds for nationalist parties that are now ascendant across Europe, look no further than Jordan Bardella.
At 28 years old, the French politician is soft-spoken, social-media savvy and apparently unbothered by the historical baggage that has long weighed down his political mentor, Marine Le Pen.
On Sunday, Bardella led Le Pen’s far-right opposition party, National Rally, to its biggest victory ever in European elections, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to dissolve France’s National Assembly and call snap elections in late June and early July. If National Rally prevails at the ballot box in that contest, Bardella is positioned to become prime minister. […]
“Was there naiveté with respect to Vladimir Putin, with respect to the intentions of Vladimir Putin? The answer is ‘yes,’” Bardella said, adding that the naiveté came “from everyone. From my side but also from yours.”
Read more here.
