Le Pen, Zemmour and the ‘patriotic ecology’ of the French far right: The case of the 2022 presidential elections

Abstract

The French far right has historically been torn between two strategies which were opposed during the 2022 presidential campaign, a modernist line who was embodied by Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National and a traditionalist line who was represented by Éric Zemmour’s Reconquête. This article specifically examines the way the differences between the modernist and traditionalist lines were expressed when it comes to the topic of environmental concerns. Indeed, while ecological issues have long been seen as the exclusive domain of the political left, the increasing salience of the climate crisis means that politicians across the political spectrum have provided their own perspective on ecological issues. Building on a deeper tradition of conservative and nationalist thought about the environment, this article demonstrates that the French far right has developed a form ‘patriotic ecology’ that can be interpreted in different ways. Through an analysis of their programmes for the 2022 presidential campaign, the article contrasts the archetypical way Zemmour mobilised environmental issues by mobilising the classic far-right tropes about the environment while Le Pen engaged with them in much more modern and sophisticated way to depict herself as more in touch with the contemporary zeitgeist. Finally, it concludes with a discussion on the ideological plasticity of the far right and the need to address its versatility in appropriating issues beyond its ideological core.