Marine Le Pen was barred from seeking public office for five years, a French court ruled Monday after the right-wing leader was found guilty of embezzlement by a criminal court.
The news means the current front-runner in the 2027 presidential election cannot run unless she successfully appeals. Previously, she indicated this would be her final try at the presidency.
Ms. Le Pen has denied any wrongdoing in the case, which involved accusations that her party, the National Rally, illegally used several million euros in European Parliament funds for expenses between 2004 and 2016.
The court also sentenced Ms. Le Pen, 56, to four years in prison, with two of those years suspended. The court said the other two could be served under a form of house arrest. She was fined 100,000 euros, or about $108,000.
Ms. Le Pen’s electoral ineligibility is effective immediately. As a result, only a successful appeal before the 2027 deadline to enter the race would allow her to run.
That is not impossible, but it will be difficult. The appeals process is slow in France, and even if a new trial took place before the election, it is unclear whether the prosecution’s case would be overturned. (The New York Times)
National Rally president Jordan Bardella said it's not only Le Pen "who is being unjustly condemned: it is French democracy that is being executed."
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán of Hungary posted on X, “Je suis Marine!” translating to, "I am Marine."
The Associated Press highlighted other reactions, including from one of Le Pen's political opponents, lawmaker Laurent Wauquiez, who said the ruling placed “a very heavy weight on our democracy.”
Le Pen's attorney Rodolphe Bosselut confirmed that she will appeal, calling the verdict “a blow to democracy.”
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