Radical Right and EU-Pessimism in France

International audienceThis presentation examines the current contextual opportunities, performances and party system diffusion of the Euro-pessimism of the Rassemblement National (RN, formerly FN) in France. It looks at how Euro-pessimist narratives are embedded within populist radical right ideology, and how they interact with the strategic trade-off that the RN must establish between populist radical right voter mobilization and office-seeking objectives, a trade-off which is reflected in ‘de-demonization’. Reflecting on the recent reshaping of the party system in the 2017 elections, RN Euro-pessimism is placed in the broader context of party competition over the EU and increased salience of European issues in French politics. The emphasis is on new competitive opportunities produced by the consolidation of a transnational cleavage in French politics. Implications for the 2019 European elections in France, and more generally for future development of the populist radical right in Europe, are discussed in the conclusion