French presidential race fuels debate over citizenship rules amid European right-wing surge

After securing the presidency, the Rassemblement national announced plans for a referendum that would repeal France's birthright citizenship law. This stance mirrors a wave of right-wing momentum across Europe, illustrated by the AfD's decisive win in Saxe-Anhalt, where it outperformed the CDU led by Friedrich Merz, and a recent protocol signed in Birmingham between Nigel Farage and Jordan Bardella concerning migrant returns.

French campaign discourse repeatedly asks who should be considered an outsider, yet it avoids a clear definition of the term. Comparisons are drawn with Switzerland, where a campaign highlighted that roughly a quarter of residents hold foreign nationality, contrasting with France's lower proportion. The debate underscores the political salience of immigration policy during the presidential campaign.