He's only 28 but has revitalized France's far right: Meet the man who could be the country's next prime minister

Marine Le Pen is the name that springs to mind at any mention of France's hard-right National Rally party, but it's her protégé Jordan Bardella who could be thrust into one of the most powerful roles in France after a snap election.

Bardella has risen up the ranks of the euroskeptic and anti-immigration National Rally (Rassemblement National, or RN) to become its president in 2022, with his youth, looks and social-media savviness helping to attract younger voters.

Soon, he could well become prime minister if RN wins an absolute majority in the forthcoming parliamentary elections — and he's only 28.

Bardella's rise from party spokesman in 2017 to party president over the course of five years is somewhat remarkable for a man who is only 28. CNBC has the lowdown on Bardella and his meteoric rise to prominence.

Born in 1995 in Drancy in the north Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, an area that has become synonymous with deprivation, high crime rates and inadequate public housing, Bardella was the only child of parents of Italian origin, although his father's grandfather was Algerian.

Bardella excelled in economics and social sciences at a private college and joined National Rally — then known as the National Front — at the age of 16. He then went on to study at the Paris Sorbonne University, before dropping out to focus on politics.

Bardella has often extolled his average background to appeal to voters, experts say. The party has used it as a way to appeal to French citizens, particularly those that may have participated in populist, anti-government Yellow Vest protests in recent years against the rising cost of living and economic inequality.

Political commentators point out that Bardella's father was in fact a successful