At 28, Jordan Bardella could become France's next prime minister after the country's swing to the right in this month's European Union election.
FRANCE — Jordan Bardella is shaking things up in French politics. He’s young. He’s handsome like a male fashion model, and since 2022, he’s been president of the National Rally, the new name for the National Front party founded in 1972 by controversial far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen. The party has moved on from its far-right roots, becoming more of a populist party under Le Pen's daughter, Marine.
The reason Bardella has a chance at being the next French prime minister is due to the country's electorate swing to the populist right in the European Union elections at the beginning of the month. France led the way with the National Rally snagging 31.5% of the votes, making it the most popular French political block in the election. That led President Emmanuel Macron to call a snap parliamentary election for the end of the month.
Another thing drawing voters to the National Rally is the high unemployment of young people between 15 and 24. Recent data shows that the so-called youth unemployment rate was running at 17.8%, according to data from April. That’s up from 16.8% at the beginning of last year. That high youth unemployment rate may be due to a lack of education or skills, says Ivo Pezzuto, a Paris-based professor of global economics and competitiveness at the ISM Business School.
Investors have shown their concerns over the past few days since Macron called the snap vote. The Paris CAC index had subsequently dropped 4% last week. And its finances are stretched. The country had a debt of 111% of its GDP at the end of last year. And the same year, its deficit rose to 5.5% of GDP. The EU requires member states to run deficits no higher than 3%.
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