Jordan Bardella has said that France’s National Rally (RN) intends to govern beyond its traditional political base if it wins the 2027 presidential election, promising to form a “government of national unity” in a move aimed at attracting conservative voters and figures from the mainstream Right.
The RN president said he would devote “all his energy” to securing the election of Marine Le Pen in 2027 before taking on what he described as three key responsibilities: drafting the programme, assembling a government and securing a parliamentary majority capable of governing.
“Our government of national unity will not be composed exclusively of RN executives or parliamentarians,” Bardella said, extending an overt appeal to what he called the “historic electorate of the Right”, which he argued had been left politically homeless.
This strategy reflects a longer-term effort by the RN to shed its image as a protest movement.
Bardella argue that winning the presidential election alone would not be enough without a stable majority in the National Assembly.
“We must build the programme, form the government and lead the RN to a solid parliamentary majority, otherwise nothing will be possible,” he said.
His comments also appeared designed to encourage defections from the traditional Right.
He argued that the traditional Right had been left “without a leader or political embodiment”, claiming Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau would ultimately back former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe rather than pursue an independent course.
The RN leader presented his own party as the alternative for conservative voters dissatisfied with the mainstream Right.
Jordan Bardella’s comments came as Éric Ciotti, leader of the Union des Droites pour la République (UDR), publicly called on Retailleau to join what he described as a “great alliance of the Right.”
The promise of a broader cabinet also seeks to reassure business circles, civil servants who have questioned RN ability to govern and whether an RN government could attract experienced ministers beyond its own ranks.
Bardella’s intervention comes only days after Marine Le Pen confirmed she would once again stand for the presidency in 2027 despite ongoing legal proceedings linked to the European Parliament assistants case.
Le Pen has appealed her conviction before France’s Court of Cassation after an appellate court upheld her conviction earlier this month.
