PARIS — A once-clandestine group of policy advisers and technocrats behind Marine Le Pen’s political transformation emerged into the public eye on Friday, aiming to position her National Rally (RN) as a mainstream governing force.
Known as Les Horaces, the group has quietly shaped Le Pen’s nationalist agenda for nearly a decade, advocating for a more measured tone and helping her move away from radical proposals such as abandoning the euro. Their unveiling included the launch of a website and YouTube channel featuring policy videos and announcements that more of their roughly 50 members will go public.
“We provide her with academic, professional, and intellectual credibility,” said André Rougé, a former official under President Jacques Chirac and now an RN member of the European Parliament. Speaking alongside six other members at a press conference, Rougé said the group’s public debut was encouraged by RN’s electoral gains in 2022 and 2024, which brought several Horaces into office.
Les Horaces have been instrumental to Le Pen’s long-term strategy of “de-demonisation”—a rebranding effort aimed at distancing the party from its far-right origins and presenting it as a viable alternative to traditional parties.
Matthias Renault, an elite ENA graduate and now RN lawmaker, said the group promotes pragmatic, non-ideological solutions. “We oppose financial speculation and rent-seeking, but we support entrepreneurship,” he said, distancing the group from rigid economic orthodoxy.
On foreign policy, RN deputy Guillaume Bigot said the group advocates a sovereign, non-aligned approach inspired by Charles de Gaulle. “We stand with the Ukrainian people—it’s a tragic conflict—but it’s not our war,” he said. “France must remain independent, not subordinate to the global West, Russia, China, or the U.S.”
The public appearance of Les Horaces marks a new chapter in Le Pen’s campaign to move her party from the fringes of French politics to the heart of government.