France faces a new political reality as Le Pen's prodigy stands on the brink of power

A new political reality has been revealed in France, it has a new face and a new name – 28-year-old Jordan Bardella.

Frontman of the hard-right, he has helped propel National Rally to a clear-cut lead in the first round of parliamentary elections.

Bardella, the party’s choice for prime minister, stands on the brink of power if National Rally secures a majority in the second round of voting.

“I want to tell our supporters to mobilise so that they carry out a final effort next Sunday – next Sunday’s vote will be one of the most important in the history of modern France,” he said.

With roots in the collaborationist regime of Vichy France, National Rally has been re-engineered by Marine Le Pen as she has worked to make it electable – and acceptable – to the public.

A key part of that scheme rests with Le Pen’s fresh-faced prodigy. Bardella told the media that a National Rally government would respect the country’s traditional republican values.

“I will always be the guarantor of your rights and freedoms and our republican values which unite us all. I promise you freedom, equality and fraternity,” he said.

They were challenged from the left by the New Popular Front, a hastily organised alliance of socialists, communists, greens and hard-left grouping France Unbowed.

Early results suggest they have finished a strong second, around 28% of the vote.

There is no doubt about losers here. Emmanuel Macron‘s centrist coalition, Ensemble, performed poorly, gaining just 21% of the vote.

Now a case of damage control

When he called this snap election, Macron was taking a gamble the drubbing his alliance received in recent European elections would not be repeated. He was wrong.

Macron’s prime minister, Gabriel Attal, said it’s now a case of damage control: “Our goal is clear, we must stop the right from gaining an absolute majority in the first round.”

What happens next? Well, we will see a feverish week of campaigning as those candidates who have entered the final round seek to cement their advantage.

In constituencies where three people advance into the second round, parties will engage in frantic horse-trading to give their candidate the advantage.