AfD win met by silence from Marine Le Pen's RN

Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella had not publicly commented more than a day after the far-right Alternative for Germany became the largest party in Saxony-Anhalt regional elections.

The silence from Le Pen's National Rally comes after Bardella formally split with AfD in the European Parliament in 2024. The break followed comments by a senior AfD figure about Nazi Germany's SS and the emergence of a reported secret plan by the German party for the mass expulsion of people of foreign origin.

Bardella said before the German vote that AfD's electoral pressure had pushed the German government toward a tougher migration line. He also said disagreements had led National Rally to distance itself from AfD.

National Rally lawmaker Franck Allisio told LCI that the French party had "nothing to do with" AfD and did not consider it an ally in Germany. Jean-Philippe Tanguy, a Le Pen ally, said AfD had taken positions that were against France's interests. Senior National Rally lawmaker Philippe Ballard said the party took note of the German result but accused AfD of confusing "brutality with firmness."

Le Pen is expected to run again for the French presidency in 2027. Bardella told BFMTV at the weekend that he had "an unwavering political and personal bond" with her, after reports of tensions over policy.