For months, a few critics within the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party have been hoping for a setback, a tiny setback, to undermine Jordan Bardella. Now, their wish has come true. At 28 years old, the man who aspired to be prime minister is the first to express his disappointment. As president of the RN, he bears the main responsibility for the party's failure in the second round of the snap elections, on July 7. On Monday, July 8, he took on his 'share of responsibility' in front of the cameras outside the party's Paris headquarters. "We always make mistakes, and I've made some. (...) I assume my share of responsibility for both the victory in the European elections and yesterday's defeat," said a tired-looking Bardella, before mechanically restating the scenario that would lead to the RN's future victory.
However, it was not he who bore the brunt of these "mistakes," but the party's director general, Gilles Pennelle, who resigned on Monday evening. If victory is only just "postponed," according to Marine Le Pen, the assessment of the party's actions cannot be delayed.
On Monday morning, vice-president Louis Aliot decided to bring the party out of its collective denial, on RTL radio. "We can win, I did it in Perpignan [where he is mayor], but it requires effort on our part. We won't be spared an examination of conscience."
Meanwhile, MP Bruno Bilde, reached by Le Monde, insisted that "We can't go on like this. We need to reassure people. But we've had some extremely divisive, and sometimes even worrying, profiles. Management is going to have to look into this problem right away, which has parasitized the entire campaign, and especially the period between the two rounds." On X, Le Pen said the same thing before a party executive committee meeting, inviting her followers to "also take stock of what can undoubtedly be improved in the future."
While the rest of the party remains cautiously silent, it's important to note the identity of the whistle-blowing duo. In 2022, Bilde and his allies were strong supporters of Aliot in his candidacy against Bardella for the party presidency. After a clear victory in November 2022, Bardella outlined four priorities for the RN leadership: opening up the party to a new electorate, including those disappointed by Eric Zemmour's far-right Reconquete! party and the right; occupying the "prestigious terrain of ideas"; training a "new elite," activists and better preparing for upcoming elections, notably possible snap parliamentary elections and the 2026 municipal elections. Only the first of these has been achieved in the last two years, with the undeniable conquest of the right-wing electorate demonstrated in the European elections. However, the election campaign revealed shortcomings in all other areas.
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