Jordan Bardella 

Twenty-eight-year-old Jordan Bardella could be prime minister of France in a matter of weeks after Emmanuel Macron shocked the nation by calling a snap election


Sep 13, 1995: Jordan Bardella born in Parisian suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis – one of France’s poorest areas

1996 onwards: His mother, an Italian immigrant, leaves his father to bring him up. Attends private secondary school

2009: Studies geography at Paris-Sorbonne University but drops out to focus on politics

2011: Marine Le Pen (above) takes over leadership of far-right Front National (FN) from her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen

2012: At age of 16, Jordan Bardella joins FN

2015: Bardella and fellow candidate, Christine Prus, run in departmental elections but lose in second round with 41% of vote.
Political observers begin to consider Bardella as leading figure within FN

2017: Bardella becomes member of Le Pen’s presidential campaign team. She finds support among working class, upset with 9.41% jobless rate.
Le Pen finishes second to Emmanuel Macron

2018: Le Pen appoints Bardella as president of Front National de la Jeunesse (FNJ).
FN renamed National Rally (RN)

2019: Bardella stands in European Parliament elections. RN wins 23 seats, Bardella becomes MEP at age 23
           
2022: Bardella becomes acting president of RN after Le Pen resigns to launch her presidential election campaign  

Nov: Bardella elected President of National Rally with 85% of vote                                         

Jun 10, 2024: President Macron (above) calls snap elections in response to stinging European vote defeat by RN.
Bardella declared RN’s candidate for prime minister

          
Sources: Le Monde, Paris Match, Sky News 
Pictures: Getty Images 
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