This post was originally published on France24
At almost every French election, it’s the same old story: the far right makes significant gains. Under longtime leader Marine Le Pen, the party carried out a “de-demonisation” operation: changing its name from National Front to National Rally and softening its message while recruiting new faces. It has continued its journey into mainstream politics by joining the new “union of the right” with Eric Ciotti, former president of the conservative Les Républicains party. Our reporters went to meet National Rally supporters and their current leader, Jordan Bardella.