French far right splits in two over Le Pen succession

The French far right fractures: who will succeed Marine Le Pen?

Marine Le Pen will not run again. Her replacement, a liberal with a Macron-style profile engaged to a self-proclaimed aristocrat, has set off alarm bells in the party's hardline wing. The split is real, and critics argue that the National Rally has become just another branch of the system, much like Vox in Spain.

A succession that divides
The news came as a cold shower for the most loyal supporters: Marine Le Pen will not be cleared to run for the Élysée. Instead, the party is promoting a figure described as "a liberal in the Macron mould", romantically linked to a woman who presents herself as an aristocrat. For many analysts, this confirms that the party has abandoned any hint of a real break with the establishment.

Zemmour, Trump and lost coherence
While Marine Le Pen drifted away from the Trumpist orbit, Éric Zemmour was photographed with Donald Trump. The question on everyone's lips: why Zemmour and not the National Rally? The answer, according to the prevailing analysis, is that Le Pen's party has chosen to soften its rhetoric to appease business leaders, as has been openly admitted: "you have to convince business owners you'll behave if you want to reach the Élysée".

The spectre of external funding
Criticism has also turned to funding. A socialist-leaning foundation called Jan Yahwe is said to have influenced the rhetoric of the Spanish right. Ramiro Lederma Ramos repeated a phrase attributed to Jan Yahwe: "only the rich can afford the luxury of having no homeland". The irony: those who call themselves patriots drink from foreign sources.

The event ended on a rough note: few attendees, threats of cancellation and a donation appeal that felt more like a streaming channel than a political rally. Civil war in the French far right is now on the table, but the outcome is uncertain. The only certainty is that the model of systemic opposition convinces no one, not even its own.