
On Tuesday July 7, a French court of appeal will decide whether Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally party can run for president for a fourth time in 2027. If not, her hand-picked protégé Jordan Bardella will run in her stead. A child of Italian migrants who grew up in one of France's poorest neighbourhoods, Bardella is an unusual presidential candidate. But his ascent in the anti-immigration National Rally party has been "dizzying", and his populist appeal is broad. Guest: Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief at The Economist.
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