European elections: PH takes second place, heading to south of France

After six months of trumpeting the slogan “Long live the 9th of June” – the slogan at the beginning of the European mobilization campaign – the National Rally changes its verses. And equipment. Jordan Bardella will head south this Monday, February 19, towards Menton (Alpes-Maritimes) on a trip dedicated to the issue of migration, a historical cutting-edge hit that the young party chairman has no intention of abandoning.

Visit the CRS barracks in Saint-Laurent-du-Var in the morning and the border post in Menton in the afternoon. All are accompanied by the new muse of the RN: Fabrice Leggeri, former director of the European Border Control Agency (Frontex), recently announced as a new recruit to the RN, third on the list headed by Jordan Bardella. “My goal is to put my experience and knowledge at the service of the French. (…) Our goal is to regain control of the borders, both those of the European Union and those of France,” said Fabrice Leggeri in an interview with JDD, assessing that “The RN has a concrete plan and the capabilities to achieve it. »

Leggeri, a contested official… but also a contested

“He is a witness to the reality of what the European Union is doing, which is trying to organize mass immigration. His experience and knowledge will give us confidence,” people around Jordan Bardella rub their hands. Senior civil servant Fabrice Leggeri, 55, led Frontex from 2015 to 2022 before resigning following a disciplinary investigation.

As a contested director, NGOs accused him of tolerating the illegal displacement of migrants. A contested official… but also a contested one. Because if RN claims that contacts with Fabrice Leggeri began several months ago (he would first meet with Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, and then several meetings with the latter and his campaign manager, MP Alexandre Loubet), he was also in the lead. According to our information, simultaneous negotiations… with the Republican party.

“We have been talking to him for several months,” gasps a senior LR officer, claiming that he was still in discussion with him “a few days” ago to include him in the list of suitable candidates headed by Francois-Xavier. Bellamy. Right-wingers, who knew the man was also being courted by Jordan Bardella, condemned the “disappointing opportunism.” And insist that in Brussels the RN is currently part of a political group (PG) that has never had the opportunity to influence European politics until now.

Absorb the voices of Zemmourists

The choice of the south-east of France to manifest this political approach is also significant on the part of Jordan Bardella. The right and far right do well in elections. In 2022, Eric Zemmour achieved some of his best results in Var (13.25% compared to 7% nationally). Anti-immigration was and remains the heart of his political message.

So, unless both parties develop in the same electoral areas (RN gets about 29% versus 6% on average for Reconquet), Jordan Bardella wants to take away the votes of that pesky rival, whose list is headed by ex-RN Marion Marechal , to strengthen their advantage over the macroonists (19%). Privately, the RN chief has even been betting for a long time that Zemmourists will not exceed the 5% mark and in this case will not win a single elected official; which would suit him well in the long run.

The same one recently admitted that the Southern region is “an important area of ​​strength and mobilization” for his party. That is why the first major meeting of the European campaign will take place here, on Sunday, March 3, in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône). There will also be a new campaign slogan, which Marine Le Pen would come up with these days.

The meeting will take place in Chano Park. Currently the plan is to accommodate up to 6,000 people, but Alexandre Loubet is working these days to increase the capacity again to 7,000. And the main theme chosen for this occasion will be… the problem of migration. Even if, in the context of the agricultural and energy crisis, the speeches will ultimately not be complete without a few messages about agricultural or energy prices.

RN hopes to hold one meeting in each major region. Two “big events” will also spice up the campaign, one on May 1st and another in the final week of the campaign, before Sunday June 9th. A date that Jordan Bardella and his team will continue to repeat in every media appearance they make to mobilize their potential voters. In this way, they hope to protect themselves from the risk of demobilization, which awaits them, as they know, a little more than their competitors, with the aim of inflicting the greatest possible defeat on Emmanuel Macron.

In an interview published in the newspaper L’Humanité this Sunday, February 18, the head of state expressed his conviction that the National Rally “does not fit into the republican arc.”