Will the Bardella scandal sink Le Pen?
PARIS — Jordan Bardella is little known outside of France. But if Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally (RN), wins next spring’s presidential election—as appears increasingly likely—he will, she says, be her prime minister. The question is whether the growing scandal around Bardella will cause Le Pen to change her mind and, if not, how that will affect her chances of victory.…
The Bardella scandal is putting Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally party, in a difficult position as she prepares for the presidential election next spring. The scandal began on September 28 when Mediapart, a French investigative news outlet, reported that an examination of written exchanges from 2013 revealed antisemitic remarks by Jordan Bardella, a little-known figure in France. One message in the exchanges stated, "The Jew has to dominate other people, crush them and rob them."
Bardella initially denied the veracity of the claims but Mediapart published the full set of exchanges on October 1. Bardella still claims the texts are "crude forgeries," but the authenticity of the messages cannot be doubted as they were sent from an account in his name. This puts Le Pen, who plans to make Bardella her prime minister if she wins the presidency, in a tough spot.
She has not yet made a decision on whether to change her stance on Bardella and continue with him as her prime minister or if this scandal will affect her chances of victory in the presidential election.
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- Will the Bardella scandal sink Le Pen? koreatimes.co.kr
