Jordan Bardella, president of the Rassemblement National, attends a ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of Victory in Europe Day in La Flèche, Sarthe, on May 8. SEBASTIEN SALOM-GOMIS/AFP
The president of the far-right Rassemblement National (RN), Jordan Bardella, met with Germany's ambassador in Paris, Stephan Steinlein, as revealed by Agence France-Presse on Wednesday, May 6. The RN, which leads in the polls ahead of the 2027 presidential election, confirmed the meeting, which took place in February, while the embassy declined to comment. "It is incumbent upon a diplomatic mission to maintain contacts with all political forces in the host country," said a German diplomatic source, refusing to comment "on how these contacts are established or at what level they take place."
Organized informally by staff, the meeting was not intended to be made public. But such an encounter could only happen if there was mutual interest. Bardella could become the party's candidate for president if the Paris Court of Appeal, on July 7, confirms Marine Le Pen's ban on running for political office.
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