France | The Horatii emerge from the shadows

As of now, she is barred from the upcoming presidential election: Marine Le Pen of the far-right Rassemblement National. Nevertheless, she enjoys support from the circle of experts named the "Horatii," after an ancient Roman family. The Horatii formed in December 2015 to advise party leader Marine Le Pen – in secret. Even leading RN politicians therefore viewed them with suspicion, as a kind of secret order. This was partly due to the fact that the names of the approximately 40 members could never be revealed, as they are mostly high-ranking civil servants, military personnel, or corporate executives who are intellectually close to the far-right without belonging to the party, but who fear for their reputation and careers if this became known.

Who is behind the Horatii?

The more secret the Horatii have been kept, the more zealously the media have been trying to "unmask" them for years. For example, not only are the names of their chairman, André Rougé, and of nearly a dozen RN deputies in the National Assembly and the European Parliament who are Horatii known, but this is also known, for example, of François Durvye, the general director of the investment fund Otium Capital. This is the flagship portfolio of the conservative Catholic billionaire Pierre-Edouard Stérin, who is suspected of using a significant portion of his wealth to pave the way to power for the RN and other far-right groups. He has been summoned three times by a parliamentary committee of inquiry to answer these allegations. The fact that he never appeared, not even on May 20, is an unprecedented disregard for Parliament and thus for the basic democratic rules, stated the president of the committee of inquiry, Thomas Cazenave, and announced that Stérin would be brought to justice for this.

The Horatii took the initiative a few days ago with a press conference ostensibly intended to present their newly created website and a series of YouTube videos. In reality, the intention was more to convey a political message and thus counter the danger of being pushed out of their privileged advisory position alongside Marine Le Pen. This is not least a generational issue, as the Horatii are mostly older professionals who have to watch as young talents are gaining ground in the RN presidential candidate's circle. Compared to the situation ten years ago, competition has also become fiercer because the Rassemblement entered the National Assembly with 89 deputies in the 2022 parliamentary elections and even with 120 deputies in the 2024 general election, thus entitling it to a corresponding number of parliamentary staff and advisors.

Secret society continues to support Le Pen

Presumably to emphasize its continuing importance and attract media attention, the Horatii Circle declared at its surprise press conference that a "reasonable and rational upheaval" could be expected if the RN took power. "In this first major transfer of power since 1981, the new president and his government can rely on the experience and assessments of highly informed individuals embedded in the state apparatus, academia, and the economy, who will recommend a course for defense and international policy that is strongly aligned with the proven policies of Charles de Gaulle and François Mitterrand," RN MP Guillaume Bigot explained at the press conference. As the chief Horatier, André Rougé, emphasized, the advisory group remains firmly behind Marine Le Pen. However, should the unfortunate situation arise that the Court of Appeal confirms the ruling on the temporary loss of her right to run, the Horatiers will be equally committed to supporting Le Pen's "natural successor as presidential candidate," the current party leader, Jordan Bardella.

With their public appearance, the Horatii have not only lost their previously comfortable anonymity, but they have also been drawn into the power struggle within the Rassemblement National, which concerns the offices of President and Prime Minister, as well as ministerial posts and other key positions in the state apparatus, and where the formula of "loyalty to Marine Le Pen" alone is no longer sufficient to assert oneself. Furthermore, they must learn to look beyond the RN's borders. After the hard-line Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau was elected leader of the right-wing Republican Party (LR) with an overwhelming majority of party members last weekend, it cannot be ruled out that a RN-LR coalition and thus an overwhelming parliamentary majority will emerge in 2027 following a takeover by the far-right, requiring a completely redistribution of power.