2027 presidential election: Could the National Rally ban Islamic veils in public through a referendum?

France’s National Rally has revived a proposal to penalize the wearing of Islamic veils in public, but party leader Jordan Bardella wants to pursue it through a referendum rather than an ordinary law.

“

sanction the wearing of the Islamic veil

RN lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy said Sunday that the party would “sanction the wearing of the Islamic veil” with a fine if it came to power. The proposal followed internal debates within the party. Bardella sought to qualify the plan on Monday, saying it would not create “a clothing police.”

Instead, he said French voters could decide the issue during the next five-year presidential term through a referendum on “the question of Islamist ideology.” He added that the referendum would include “many other measures.”

“

a clothing police

The proposal has appeared before in Marine Le Pen’s platforms for the 2012, 2017 and 2022 presidential elections. Its return comes less than eight months before the 2027 presidential election.

“

the question of Islamist ideology

Opponents have repeatedly argued that such a measure would conflict with France’s principle of secularism and prove impossible to enforce. Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said there were “obvious reservations” about both its constitutionality and its practical application. She also said that, if the issue were raised again, it should concern all visible religious symbols in public rather than only the veil. The question of whether a referendum could overcome the legal objections remains the focus of the debate.

“

There are obvious reservations about both the constitutionality and the practical application of such a measure.