section_path: Campaign/Parties and coalitions/National Rally
section_name: National Rally
paragraph_text: National Rally
  
  Eight of the 30 National Rally (RN) MEPs newly elected to the European Parliament in June 2024 decided to run in the national election. As occupying both posts is impossible, MEPs who won in the legislative elections were replaced with other party members further down the list.
  
  Marine Le Pen promised that the RN would form a "national unity government" should it win the election, and in an interview with La Voix du Nord, she indicated she was open to the possibility of appointments for figures from the left in an RN-led government. At the same time, party leader Jordan Bardella said that he was "the only one capable of blocking Jean-Luc Mélenchon and blocking the far left" and urged "all the patriotic forces of the republic" to unite and prevent the left from winning the election. He also pledged to pass an immigration law allowing the deportation of "delinquents and Islamists" and cut energy costs as prime minister. In an interview with Le Monde, Le Pen confirmed that Bardella would not seek the post of prime minister in the absence of an absolute majority.
  
  On 18 June, Bardella urged voters to give his party an "absolute majority" for it to be able to govern effectively, while pledging to cut energy taxes to 5.5% from 20%. Bardella pledged to uphold French military commitments to NATO and support Ukraine against the Russian invasion, but ruled out sending long-range missiles and other weapons that could be used to strike Russian territory. Alluding to the possibility of Emmanuel Macron sending ground forces to Ukraine, Le Pen deemed Macron's title of "commander-in-chief of the armed forces" as "honorary" given the need for both the heads and state and government to make most defence decisions, though constitutional law experts noted that the president's approval was still required for the usage of nuclear weapons.
  
  Due to worries about public backlash and concerns from investors, the RN softened and postponed some elements of its initial economic proposals, including the planned tax exemptions on those under 30 and abolition of the value-added tax (VAT) on 100 essential products, and proposals to increase teachers' salaries were also deferred. Despite initial claims otherwise, Bardella reaffirmed on 17 June that the RN intended to repeal the 2023 pension reform and reduce the legal retirement age to 60, but only for those who started working before the age of 20. In an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche published on 22 June, Bardella announced that, as prime minister, he would initiate a national budgetary audit and call a constitutional referendum to guarantee reductions in migratory flows in 2027. He also stated that he did not support Frexit and assured that, after their alliance, members of The Republicans (LR) supported jointly by Éric Ciotti and the RN would be included in his government.
  
  Bardella officially unveiled the RN's programme on 24 June, including measures to introduce mandatory sentencing, end child benefits for parents of underage repeat offenders, and sentence youth criminals to short prison sentences at closed educational centres for children. He confirmed that the RN continued to intend to abolish jus soli because "the automatic acquisition of French nationality is no longer justified in a world of 8 billion people, our daily struggles of our inability to integrate and assimilate them multiplying on our soil," and expressed his desire to both "re-establish the offence of illegal stays" and solidify these proposals in the constitution "to also make them untouchable by European or international jurisprudence" through a national referendum. In addition, he declared that he would scrutinise "spending that encourages immigration" and "certain expensive and abusive tax loopholes," and that the reversal of Macron's pension reform would be implemented gradually, shifting the legal retirement age to 62 for those who have worked for at least 40 years. The party is against measures to tackle climate change and protecting the environment.
  
  Other RN proposals included seeking to provide incentives for medical professionals to work in underserved areas and for retirees to return to work, reducing taxes on agriculture, privatising French national media, boosting fertility rates by allowing parents to claim their first two children as a full share rather than the current half-share for the purposes of personal income tax calculations, eliminating inheritance taxes for lower-income families, continuing to not recognise Palestine as a state as doing so would, in his view, be "to recognise terrorism," imposing moratoriums on new wind farms and the closure of healthcare facilities, banning agricultural products which fall below standards for domestic products, and ensuring that only French nationals be eligible for some security and defence jobs, after an earlier announcement that Dual nationals would be banned from such "sensitive" jobs as those. After outcry following RN deputy Roger Chudeau 's comments that dual nationals (specifically Najat Vallaud-Belkacem) should not hold ministerial posts, Le Pen disavowed the idea that of restricting ministerial posts on basis of dual nationality and added that Chudeau's comments were contrary to the RN's programme.
  
  Eight of the 30 National Rally (RN) MEPs newly elected to the European Parliament in June 2024 decided to run in the national election. As occupying both posts is impossible, MEPs who won in the legislative elections were replaced with other party members further down the list.
  
  Marine Le Pen promised that the RN would form a "national unity government" should it win the election, and in an interview with La Voix du Nord, she indicated she was open to the possibility of appointments for figures from the left in an RN-led government. At the same time, party leader Jordan Bardella said that he was "the only one capable of blocking Jean-Luc Mélenchon and blocking the far left" and urged "all the patriotic forces of the republic" to unite and prevent the left from winning the election. He also pledged to pass an immigration law allowing the deportation of "delinquents and Islamists" and cut energy costs as prime minister. In an interview with Le Monde, Le Pen confirmed that Bardella would not seek the post of prime minister in the absence of an absolute majority.
  
  On 18 June, Bardella urged voters to give his party an "absolute majority" for it to be able to govern effectively, while pledging to cut energy taxes to 5.5% from 20%. Bardella pledged to uphold French military commitments to NATO and support Ukraine against the Russian invasion, but ruled out sending long-range missiles and other weapons that could be used to strike Russian territory. Alluding to the possibility of Emmanuel Macron sending ground forces to Ukraine, Le Pen deemed Macron's title of "commander-in-chief of the armed forces" as "honorary" given the need for both the heads and state and government to make most defence decisions, though constitutional law experts noted that the president's approval was still required for the usage of nuclear weapons.
  
  Due to worries about public backlash and concerns from investors, the RN softened and postponed some elements of its initial economic proposals, including the planned tax exemptions on those under 30 and abolition of the value-added tax (VAT) on 100 essential products, and proposals to increase teachers' salaries were also deferred. Despite initial claims otherwise, Bardella reaffirmed on 17 June that the RN intended to repeal the 2023 pension reform and reduce the legal retirement age to 60, but only for those who started working before the age of 20. In an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche published on 22 June, Bardella announced that, as prime minister, he would initiate a national budgetary audit and call a constitutional referendum to guarantee reductions in migratory flows in 2027. He also stated that he did not support Frexit and assured that, after their alliance, members of The Republicans (LR) supported jointly by Éric Ciotti and the RN would be included in his government.
  
  Bardella officially unveiled the RN's programme on 24 June, including measures to introduce mandatory sentencing, end child benefits for parents of underage repeat offenders, and sentence youth criminals to short prison sentences at closed educational centres for children. He confirmed that the RN continued to intend to abolish jus soli because "the automatic acquisition of French nationality is no longer justified in a world of 8 billion people, our daily struggles of our inability to integrate and assimilate them multiplying on our soil," and expressed his desire to both "re-establish the offence of illegal stays" and solidify these proposals in the constitution "to also make them untouchable by European or international jurisprudence" through a national referendum. In addition, he declared that he would scrutinise "spending that encourages immigration" and "certain expensive and abusive tax loopholes," and that the reversal of Macron's pension reform would be implemented gradually, shifting the legal retirement age to 62 for those who have worked for at least 40 years. The party is against measures to tackle climate change and protecting the environment.
  
  Other RN proposals included seeking to provide incentives for medical professionals to work in underserved areas and for retirees to return to work, reducing taxes on agriculture, privatising French national media, boosting fertility rates by allowing parents to claim their first two children as a full share rather than the current half-share for the purposes of personal income tax calculations, eliminating inheritance taxes for lower-income families, continuing to not recognise Palestine as a state as doing so would, in his view, be "to recognise terrorism," imposing moratoriums on new wind farms and the closure of healthcare facilities, banning agricultural products which fall below standards for domestic products, and ensuring that only French nationals be eligible for some security and defence jobs, after an earlier announcement that Dual nationals would be banned from such "sensitive" jobs as those. After outcry following RN deputy Roger Chudeau 's comments that dual nationals (specifically Najat Vallaud-Belkacem) should not hold ministerial posts, Le Pen disavowed the idea that of restricting ministerial posts on basis of dual nationality and added that Chudeau's comments were contrary to the RN's programme.
  
  Eight of the 30 National Rally (RN) MEPs newly elected to the European Parliament in June 2024 decided to run in the national election. As occupying both posts is impossible, MEPs who won in the legislative elections were replaced with other party members further down the list.
  
  Marine Le Pen promised that the RN would form a "national unity government" should it win the election, and in an interview with La Voix du Nord, she indicated she was open to the possibility of appointments for figures from the left in an RN-led government. At the same time, party leader Jordan Bardella said that he was "the only one capable of blocking Jean-Luc Mélenchon and blocking the far left" and urged "all the patriotic forces of the republic" to unite and prevent the left from winning the election. He also pledged to pass an immigration law allowing the deportation of "delinquents and Islamists" and cut energy costs as prime minister. In an interview with Le Monde, Le Pen confirmed that Bardella would not seek the post of prime minister in the absence of an absolute majority.
  
  On 18 June, Bardella urged voters to give his party an "absolute majority" for it to be able to govern effectively, while pledging to cut energy taxes to 5.5% from 20%. Bardella pledged to uphold French military commitments to NATO and support Ukraine against the Russian invasion, but ruled out sending long-range missiles and other weapons that could be used to strike Russian territory. Alluding to the possibility of Emmanuel Macron sending ground forces to Ukraine, Le Pen deemed Macron's title of "commander-in-chief of the armed forces" as "honorary" given the need for both the heads and state and government to make most defence decisions, though constitutional law experts noted that the president's approval was still required for the usage of nuclear weapons.
  
  Due to worries about public backlash and concerns from investors, the RN softened and postponed some elements of its initial economic proposals, including the planned tax exemptions on those under 30 and abolition of the value-added tax (VAT) on 100 essential products, and proposals to increase teachers' salaries were also deferred. Despite initial claims otherwise, Bardella reaffirmed on 17 June that the RN intended to repeal the 2023 pension reform and reduce the legal retirement age to 60, but only for those who started working before the age of 20. In an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche published on 22 June, Bardella announced that, as prime minister, he would initiate a national budgetary audit and call a constitutional referendum to guarantee reductions in migratory flows in 2027. He also stated that he did not support Frexit and assured that, after their alliance, members of The Republicans (LR) supported jointly by Éric Ciotti and the RN would be included in his government.
  
  Bardella officially unveiled the RN's programme on 24 June, including measures to introduce mandatory sentencing, end child benefits for parents of underage repeat offenders, and sentence youth criminals to short prison sentences at closed educational centres for children. He confirmed that the RN continued to intend to abolish jus soli because "the automatic acquisition of French nationality is no longer justified in a world of 8 billion people, our daily struggles of our inability to integrate and assimilate them multiplying on our soil," and expressed his desire to both "re-establish the offence of illegal stays" and solidify these proposals in the constitution "to also make them untouchable by European or international jurisprudence" through a national referendum. In addition, he declared that he would scrutinise "spending that encourages immigration" and "certain expensive and abusive tax loopholes," and that the reversal of Macron's pension reform would be implemented gradually, shifting the legal retirement age to 62 for those who have worked for at least 40 years. The party is against measures to tackle climate change and protecting the environment.
  
  Other RN proposals included seeking to provide incentives for medical professionals to work in underserved areas and for retirees to return to work, reducing taxes on agriculture, privatising French national media, boosting fertility rates by allowing parents to claim their first two children as a full share rather than the current half-share for the purposes of personal income tax calculations, eliminating inheritance taxes for lower-income families, continuing to not recognise Palestine as a state as doing so would, in his view, be "to recognise terrorism," imposing moratoriums on new wind farms and the closure of healthcare facilities, banning agricultural products which fall below standards for domestic products, and ensuring that only French nationals be eligible for some security and defence jobs, after an earlier announcement that Dual nationals would be banned from such "sensitive" jobs as those. After outcry following RN deputy Roger Chudeau 's comments that dual nationals (specifically Najat Vallaud-Belkacem) should not hold ministerial posts, Le Pen disavowed the idea that of restricting ministerial posts on basis of dual nationality and added that Chudeau's comments were contrary to the RN's programme.