Successful Mobilization against the EU? The Front National Populist Politics of Euroscepticism in France

The Front National (FN) is a significant vehicle of populist Euroscepticism in the French party system. Opposition to the EU has become central to the party’s programmatic mix of anti-establishment populism, ethno-nationalism and economically leftist protectionist policies, reinforcing the FN’s role as principal anti-EU force in French politics. Amid growing voter discontent with the ruling parties and the EU, the FN has reached new electoral heights in the 2014 European elections, channelling most of the Eurosceptic vote. Adopting a supply-side and case study approach, this paper will look at the contours and shifts in FN populist politics of Euroscepticism in the context of the recent EU financial and migration crises. Changes in the Eurosceptic appeal fashioned by the FN will be assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively from a variety of party communication sources, allowing to examine the salience of EU-related frames in FN policies, and helping disaggregate the oppositional elements that characterize the ‘hard’ anti-EU stance of the party. The paper will discuss how the FN supply of Eurosceptic politics is embedded in the party’s current ‘de-demonization’ strategy, which seeks to profile the FN as a credible party alternative while simultaneously preserving its radical right-wing populist potential for voter mobilization. Whilst successfully attracting anti-EU voters and those most affected by the economic crisis, the FN’s Euro-exit agenda continues to alienate the moderate sectors of the French electorate, posing a considerable challenge to the party’s future electoral performances in the 2017 presidential and legislative elections.