The Rebranding of the French Far-Right: The Rassemblement National’s Journey to 10 Million Votes

The results of the final round of the parliamentary re-elections reveal a deeply divided nation. For the first time in the history of the Fifth Republic, no party has secured an absolute majority. This unprecedented outcome underscores the fragmentation and polarization within French politics. It is also a testament of the continuous rise of the far-right, most prominently seen in the Rassemblement National (RN). How could the once-marginalized Front National (FN) firmly anchor itself in the French political landscape, gaining ten million votes in the most recent parliamentary elections as rebranded Rassemblement National?

The de-demonization of the Front National

The Rassemblement National’s past is rooted in neo-fascism. Founded in 1972 by Jean-Marie Le Pen, along with former Waffen-SS members and neo-Nazi sympathizers, the party has evolved through a carefully orchestrated rebranding into the organization known today as Rassemblement National. Popularized by regular TV appearances since the 1980s and made more approachable through a rhetorical shift, it nowadays shapes its softer, charismatic image on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Its core far right ideology, however, remains.?

Demonstration against Jean-Marie Le Pen's Front National, May 1st 2002 (Source: Getty - Fran?ois Le Diascorn)

From Margins to Mainstream: FN's Media Journey in the 80s and 90s

To date, some critics still blame former French President Fran?ois Mitterrand for the rise of the Front National in the 80s. In an attempt to promote pluralism and disrupt the back then coalescing far-right, Mitterrand gave Jean-Marie Le Pen more airtime on TV in response to Le Pen's complaints about media exclusion.

But that strategy backfired: The prime time television appearances on major talk shows were a resounding success. Jean-Marie Le Pen's racist and antisemitic statements attracted both critics and enthusiasts, delivered excellent viewership, and helped the Front National attract more voters. Since then, the party has been able to nominate prominent candidates for presidential elections that have challenged incumbents several times.

Toned-Down Talk, Unchanged Core: The FN's Rhetorical Transformation

With growing success, it became clear that the party’s rhetoric had to become more structured to attract a broader spectrum of voters. Certain extreme expressions were banned, while Jean-Marie Le Pen's past anti-Semitic and neo-Nazi statements were quietly swept under the rug. When Marine Le Pen took over from her father, she rebranded the party as Rassemblement National in 2018 and strategically moderated its narrative. To attract a broader electorate, she softened its openly racist discourse, also by subtly renaming one of the party's core ideals of "national preference" to "national priority". Despite the name change, a core focus on nationalistic principles such as prioritizing French citizens over immigrants in areas like employment and social services remained.

Positions like opposing same-sex marriage or the automatic deportation of foreign criminals and delinquents remain consistent or are no longer discussed between the 2007, 2017, and 2022 election campaigns. (Source: Le Monde)

Digital Campaigning: Bardella's Rise as a Social Media Star

In a final step to soften the Rassemblement National's image, Marine Le Pen appointed Jordan Bardella as the new party president in 2022, dissociating her tainted family name from the party. This marked a significant departure from the old values of the RN and FN, and attracted young voters, some of which previously opposed Marine Le Pen. Bardella’s distinct background helped him stand out from previous RN leaders and appeal to a new generation of voters. In the 2024 parliamentary elections, around a third (32%) of 18-24 year-olds in France voted for Bardella and the RN.

This shift also marks the beginning of the RN’s TikTok chapter. By many, and especially by the French youth, Bardella is seen as charismatic and attractive, often drawing groupies who admire his influencer-like presence. In order to engage young voters, he leverages social media trends like memes and choreographies. His TikTok strategy is highly effective, with 58% of his engagement coming from the platform. Between Macron's announcement of parliamentary re-election and the first round of elections, he published 18 posts per day on average across platforms, with his more "institutional" carousels garnering 316k reactions.

To capture the digital political space, the RN employs strategies like "astroturfing," simulating grassroots movements by flooding social media with content, partly via spam accounts. Along with other far-right parties, they incorporate AI-generated imagery into their campaigns to enhance their visual narratives and emphasize anti-EU and anti-immigrant themes by creating strong imagery.

Unlike in Germany, where the AfD dominates TikTok, multiple parties in France employ state-of-the-art communication strategies on social media or utilize AI in their campaigning. For instance the left party “La France Insoumise” and current prime minister Gabriel Attal show extensive use of social networks. Despite this, the Rassemblement National (RN) continues to lead in digital engagement and publications.

The manner in which the RN attempts to differentiate itself from more overtly extremist parties, such as Eric Zemmour's far-right minor party "Reconquête" at the national level, or the disavowal of the AfD at the EU level, undoubtedly contributes to the party's portrayal as a more moderate and approachable entity.

Jordan Bardella went as far as presenting his party as a defender of women's rights in a video released before the elections. In practice, however, the RN has opposed measures that would strengthen these rights. This reveals a rhetorical strategy to appeal to a broader electorate without alienating the party’s core supporters.

The RN's Path Forward

Over the years, Marine Le Pen has engineered the normalization of the Front National (FN) based on a meticulously built communication strategy. Its results are astounding: For many, the party has become an approachable, mainstream and viable option in the French political sphere. And this trend is unlikely to disappear in the foreseeable future. Although the party has dropped its most extreme proposals, its agenda remains nationalist. The millions of votes will bring significant state funding, putting Le Pen in a strong position for her likely 2027 presidential campaign.

About the author

Lina Haridi is a seasoned Political Communication Manager at Cosmonauts & Kings, specializing in strategic communication, digital campaigning and public relations. With a deep-seated passion for French politics, she has developed expertise in navigating the intricacies of France's political landscape, leveraging her insights to enhance cross-cultural political campaigns.