The Rassemblement National party’s leader refused to prepare for a possible conviction. She refrained from transferring leadership to her deputy, Jordan Bardella, in her first public reaction, which has increased political ambiguity inside the far-right group.
A major political upheaval has occurred with the five-year disqualification of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen from public office for her role in embezzling EU money.
She could not be allowed to run in France’s upcoming presidential election as a result of this decision, which takes effect immediately.
At a press conference in Paris on Tuesday, Le Pen remarked, “The system has unleashed a nuclear bomb. The reason it’s resorting to such extreme measures is clearly because we are on the verge of winning the election.”
Having been the runner-up to French President Emmanuel Macron twice, the 56-year-old, daughter of the late far-right icon Jean-Marie Le Pen, has seen a rise in her support base.
She has been sentenced to two years of house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor, along with an additional two-year suspended sentence and an immediate five-year ineligibility for public office.
Le Pen’s attorney announced plans to appeal the decision, but she will remain ineligible during the appeal process, potentially excluding her from the 2027 presidential election.
“We will defend our rights, peacefully and democratically, alongside the rights of our voters,” Le Pen stated.
Although she won’t begin serving her house arrest until all appeals are resolved, the ban on her candidacy will take effect immediately, regardless of her legal challenge.
With the election looming just two years away, time is of the essence, and there’s no assurance that the appeals court will rule in her favor.
The ruling comes as Le Pen enjoys record support in opinion polls, as she aims to capitalize on her decade-long efforts to bring her party into the political mainstream ahead of the upcoming presidential election.
Le Pen has led the National Rally since 2011, and in 2021, Jordan Bardella took over as party president to allow her to concentrate on the presidential campaign.
Should Le Pen be officially barred from competing, Bardella appears to be the obvious choice to take her place.
During a news conference in Paris, Bardella remarked that the “rule of law” has been supplanted by a “tyranny of judges.”
Le Pen, along with other officials from the National Rally party, faced legal proceedings for misusing funds designated for European Union parliamentary aides to pay party staff from 2004 to 2016, which contravened the regulations of the 27-member bloc.
At that time, the National Rally was known as the National Front.
