politics
Jordan Bardella Meets German Ambassador in Paris
The president of the Rassemblement National, which leads polls ahead of the 2027 French presidential election, held the meeting with Stephan Steinlein. Agence France-Presse revealed the encounter on May 6. The German embassy declined to comment while a diplomatic source defended maintaining contacts with all political forces.
May 10, 4:07 AM·1m read1 source
Le MondeAudio version
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Jordan Bardella, president of the Rassemblement National, met with Germany's ambassador to France, Stephan Steinlein, in Paris in February. Agence France-Presse revealed the meeting on Wednesday, May 6. The Rassemblement National confirmed the encounter while the German embassy declined to comment.
A German diplomatic source said it is incumbent upon a diplomatic mission to maintain contacts with all political forces in the host country. The source refused to comment on how contacts with political forces are established or at what level they take place. Organized informally by staff, the meeting was not intended to be made public.
The Rassemblement National leads in the polls ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Bardella could become the party's candidate for president if the Paris Court of Appeal on July 7 confirms Marine Le Pen's ban on running for political office. Bardella attended a ceremony marking the 81st anniversary of Victory in Europe Day in La Flèche, Sarthe, on May 8.
U.S. ambassador in Paris. In mid-April, Marine Le Pen met with the Israeli ambassador to France. Stefan Seidendorf, deputy director of the Institut Franco-Allemand de Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg, commented on the significance of the meeting.
"As far as I know, this is the first time a German ambassador has met with a leader of this party, even though there have been previous contacts at the adviser level," Seidendorf said. "But it was time.
