French far-right leader Bardella wants to ban dual nationals from strategic government jobs

2 months ago 12

Jordan Bardella, the president of the far-right Rassemblement national (RN) party, said on Monday (June 24) he wanted to ban dual nationals from the most strategic government posts, to protect France from attempts at interference, drawing angry comments and warnings from political opponents.

Bardella sparked controversy after saying during the presentation of the RN’s programme for the legislative elections due on 30 June and 7 July that he wanted to keep those with two passports away from strategic jobs like defence or security.

“I can confirm that the most strategic positions in the state will be reserved for French citizens and French nationals,” he said, referring in particular to jobs in the defense, security and nuclear sectors.

Under current French legislation, some jobs in the civil service, lik the police or the military, are reserved for French nationals, but they may have dual nationality.

The RN wants to go further and completely exclude from strategic positions all dual nationals, of whom there are 3.3 million in France, according to the Confédération générale du travail (CGT).

“There are strategic positions linked to the security or defense sectors, which are by definition strategic sectors,” Bardella explained, without specifying which professions would be concerned.

“Reserving them for French citizens is another way of protecting ourselves from attempts at interference orchestrated by foreign states.”

Preserve France’s interests, protect dual nationals

The RN president’s comments triggered strong reactions.

“Banning dual nationals from jobs is nothing less than a return to the spirit of Vichy”, Green MP Sandrine Rousseau posted on X.

Under the Vichy regime (1940-1944), which collaborated with Nazi Germany, foreign-born French nationals who later acquired French nationality were barred for ten years from practicing medicine or law, or holding any public office.

This openly anti-Semitic measure was designed to prevent Jewish doctors and lawyers from practicing in France.

Contacted by Euractiv, RN vice-president Edwige Diaz clarified that this measure will only concern non-EU dual nationals, and that the aim is to preserve France’s interests and protect dual nationals from possible external pressure.

“For example, it would be illogical at the moment to appoint a Franco-Russian to a strategic nuclear post,” she said, as the war between Ukraine and Russia is far from over.

Long-time RN leader Marine Le Pen, who launched the same proposal in 2022 but then abandoned it, tried to clarify the situation on X by specifying that this measure would only concern a few dozen positions.

“This short list would be reviewed very regularly according to current geopolitical events and their consequences for our country,” she added.

According to public law professor Serge Slama, this measure breaks with the principle of equality. It opens up the possibility of “recourse before the European Court of Human Rights or the Conseil d’Etat [the Supreme Court for administrative justice]”, he told Le Nouvel Obs.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]