It is a promise that poisons the end of the National Rally campaign. The prospect of a ban on certain public service positions for French people with dual nationality, a measure with vague contours appearing in a constitutional revision proposal tabled by the RN in January, exposes the party to strong criticism a few days before the first round of early legislative elections, of which he is the favorite.
While Jordan Bardella was summoned by his rivals to explain this project, the outgoing deputy Roger Chudeau provoked strong reactions by accusing, Thursday June 27, the former Minister of National Education Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Franco-Moroccan, of having had “a problem of dual loyalty”. Some French people of another nationality had already expressed their concern. Franceinfo returns to this controversy in action.
1 A months-old proposal resurfaces
The ban on certain jobs for dual nationals is a point in the constitutional bill tabled by Marine Le Pen on January 25, and can be consulted on the National Assembly website. Its article 4 would notably introduce into the Constitution the fact that “the organic law may prohibit access to jobs, administrations, public enterprises and legal entities entrusted with a public service mission to persons who have the nationality of another State”even if they are also French.
Guest of TF1, Monday morning, Sébastien Chenu, outgoing vice-president of the National Assembly, is questioned on this point of the text. He confirms that the RN still wishes “to prevent” binational people to occupy certain “extremely sensitive jobs”. This measure could, for example, concern “strategic management positions in the defense”, to deprive it “people who are dual Russian nationals”explains this RN heavyweight, specifying that the list of positions concerned would be defined “by decree”.
“When you are Franco-this or Franco-that, you are French and you obviously have the same rights as any French person”also assures Sébastien Chenu, who had defended in mid-June the total ban on dual nationality, before changing his mind, this old promise of the RN having been abandoned by the party.
2 Jordan Bardella confirms the project during the presentation of his program
A few hours later, During his programmatic press conference, Jordan Bardella was questioned about this proposal concerning dual nationals, which does not appear in the summary of the legislative program published by the National Rally. (PDF file). The RN candidate in Matignon confirms “that the most strategic positions in the State will be reserved for French citizens and French nationals.” Those around him later specify that he is implying “French citizens only”therefore excluding dual nationals.
“We do not intend to call into question dual nationality. (…) On the other hand, we actually intend to reserve a certain number of strategic jobs in sectors particularly linked to security and defense.”details Jordan Bardella in front of journalists, noting that this concerns “very very few people”.
3 Marine Le Pen assures that “a few dozen” positions are affected
Seeing the controversy grow, the RN candidate in the last presidential elections, Marine Le Pen, assured in the evening, on the social network X, that there is no question of banning dual nationals from all civil service positions. “Dual nationals can oget ALL public sector jobs, of course”she writes, ensuring that her January proposal “would only concern a few dozen very sensitive jobs in strategic positions in defense, nuclear or intelligence matters, for example.”This short list” jobs banned for certain French people “would be reviewed very regularly based on current geopolitical events and their consequences for our country”she explains.
4 Gabriel Attal attacks Jordan Bardella
Tuesday, Manuel Bompard and Gabriel Attal face Jordan Bardella for the first debate in view of the legislative elections, and the Prime Minister seizes on the emerging controversy to attack his rival from the RN. “Can you tell the French people watching us who Ms. Tamara Volokhova is?”questions Gabriel Attal, who explains that it is a “advisor to the ID group [Identité et Démocratie] in the European Parliament”, where Jordan Bardella and other RN elected officials sit. She “represents you in the Foreign Affairs Committee on security and defense issues”he continues, and “she happens to be French-Russian, attending closed-door meetings with confidential information about the war in Ukraine.”
“The reality is that your proposal does not at all concern Franco-Russians in important positions, it is a way of sending a message by telling you that it will make you win votes,” accuses the Prime Minister, believing that, for the National Rally, “Tamara, it’s yes, Rachida, it’s no”. “Stop your theater”replied Jordan Bardella, annoyed, accusing him of throwing one of his advisers to the wolves.
5 Gabriel Attal and Olivier Faure return to the charge with Olivier Faure
The subject returns to the table on Thursday, during the second debate, this time broadcast on France 2. Gabriel Attal once again denounces the RN’s desire to “stigmatize 3.5 million dual-national French people”. “The message you send, it’s ‘You are more corruptible than others, we don’t have enough confidence in you to entrust you with responsibilities'”asserts the Prime Minister.
Olivier Faure, who came to represent the New Popular Front, brandished the text filed by Marine Le Pen in January. “Not only do you sort between the French and the foreigners, we understood that a long time ago, but now you even sort between the French”accuses the first secretary of the Socialist Party. “I don’t understand what you are accusing me of”assures Jordan Bardella, affirming that his proposal “means that when you are Russian, you are not put at the head of the French intelligence services”.
6 An RN deputy accuses former minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem of “double loyalty”
Following the debate, BFMTV interviews Roger Chudeau, outgoing deputy for Loir-et-Cher, candidate for re-election and presented as one of the education specialists within the RN. Asked about the positions which should be prohibited to French dual nationals, he mentions in particular government functions, and takes the example of Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Minister of National Education from 2014 to 2017.
“Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Franco-Moroccan, what did she do? She destroyed the public college, and above all, she wanted to institute Arabic classes in CP”says the MP. The minister had in fact reformed in 2016 the already existing and optional teaching of several languages, including Arabic, so that it would be provided by teachers from the National Education system and not teachers sent by foreign countries.
“I think that ministerial positions should be held by French-French people, period”continues Roger Chudeau, evoking a “dual loyalty problem”. Comments to which the former minister reacted on X, questioning Emmanuel Macron on his position in the event of a triangular with the RN in the legislative elections.
7 Emmanuel Macron denounces “uninhibited racism”, Marine Le Pen disavows her MP
On a trip to Brussels, Emmanuel Macron reacted the same evening to Roger Chudeau’s comments, denouncing a ““uninhibited racism”. In order to defuse the controversy within the controversy, the outgoing MP made it known, on X, that his position on Najat Vallaud-Belkacem was “a strictly personal opinion, and in no way commits the RN”.
For her part, Marine Le Pen tried to put an end to the controversy on Friday, speaking on several media including franceinfo. “It was never in our plan”assures the boss of RN deputies about the ban on ministerial positions for dual nationals. “This statement is not admissible because he is an elected representative of the National Rally and giving his personal opinion while knowing full well that this is not the project of the RN, I consider that it is a serious mistake.” “Love for one’s country does not depend on whether or not one has dual nationality.”she assures on CNews.
There “conflicts commission will be seized”also assures Marine Le Pen on franceinfo. “We can not” him “withdraw the nomination in two days” from the first round, but “I think the party chairman”Jordan Bardella, “will not leave things as they are”she adds on CNews.