In the event of a RN victory, French diplomats will be torn between loyalty and personal convictions

These officials from the French Quai d’Orsay are wondering about the consequences of a potential accession of the National Rally to Matignon.

In the corridors of the Quai d’Orsay, shock prevails. The hypothesis of the National Rally coming to power worries French diplomats. Some of them have already signed a column against the RN’s project that wants to exclude dual nationals from several strategic positions.

But more broadly, in the event of cohabitation, French diplomacy could find itself at the heart of a power struggle between the Élysée and the government. Jordan Bardella, if he arrives at Matignon, has, in fact, already announced his intention to weigh on foreign policy.

Proof of the importance of the situation: for once, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it is politics “interior” which is at the heart of the conversations. “For a week, we have been holding discussion groups among colleagues,” confides a diplomat. Concerns about the National Rally’s program are growing. “Will there be a rapprochement with Russia, a distancing from NATO, a confrontation with the European Union?”asks an executive.

In the event of a disagreement between the Elysée and the RN government, who should decide? “I fear above all for our image abroad”adds the diplomat already mentioned, one eye on the calendar: NATO summit next week, meeting of the European Political Community the following week…

Faced with this conflict between loyalty and personal convictions, some are tempted to look elsewhere: join a distant embassy or join the Court of Auditors. “Yes, but leaving would mean abandoning the continuity of the State,” protests a former ambassador. For its part, the RN claims to have received offers of services from around ten senior diplomats.

France has one of the densest diplomatic networks in the world with 163 embassies and dozens of permanent representations to major international organizations, not to mention cultural associations throughout the world.