French far-right parties differ on response to AfD election results
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Following the AfD’s electoral success in Saxony-Anhalt—where it secured 43.8% of the vote compared to the CDU’s 17.2%—France’s National Rally (RN) remained silent, while the rival Reconquête party publicly welcomed the results. Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella maintained this distance as part of a long-term strategy to normalize the RN's image, despite the party leading recent 2027 presidential polls with 34% to 36% support. While some RN members acknowledged the AfD’s rise as a reflection of mainstream failure on issues like immigration and national identity, they reaffirmed that the RN would not renew its alliance with the German party. This separation followed the Identity and Democracy group's decision to expel the AfD in May 2024, triggered by controversy surrounding comments from lead candidate Maximilian Krah regarding the Nazi SS.
Consequences
The National Rally intends to maintain its distance from the AfD to avoid reputational damage ahead of the 2027 French presidential elections. The split in the European Parliament, with the AfD moving to the Europe of Sovereign Nations group while the RN remains in the Patriots for Europe, suggests that French far-right divergence from their German counterparts will continue in the near term.
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