- Marine Le Pen sentenced to 4 years in prison, banned from 2027 election, fined Rs 92.9 lakh for embezzling EU funds.
- The ruling could impact the French presidential race and pressure Macron’s government.
- Jordan Bardella, 29, is likely to lead National Rally, but lacks experience to attract wider voter support.
Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, is sentenced to four years in prison and banned from running in the 2027 presidential election. She is also fined Rs 92.9 lakh. This ruling came after a French court found Le Pen and eight others guilty of embezzling European Union funds.
The case accused Le Pen and 24 members of her party of using EU funds, which were meant for parliamentary aides, to pay for party staff salaries between 2004 and 2016. This violated EU rules. The decision will have a big impact on her party. With Le Pen disqualified, 29-year-old Jordan Bardella is expected to lead the National Rally in her place.
Impact on French Politics
The recent court ruling in France could have big effects on the country’s politics. It might change the race to replace President Emmanuel Macron and put more pressure on his weak government, which has been dealing with many problems recently.
The ruling could also make right-wing leaders around the world even angrier about judges who aren’t elected but still have power over their decisions.
In a TV interview, Marine Le Pen, a French politician, said she was innocent and would appeal the ruling. She called it a political move to stop her from running for president. While she’s not currently in the race for 2027, she promised to keep fighting for her future.
She also said that many French people were angry, feeling that judges in France, a country known for human rights, were acting like judges in authoritarian countries.
Le Pen’s Party’s Political Death?
Marine Le Pen has run for president three times and had planned for 2027 to be her final attempt. Now, she hopes to challenge the recent court ruling in an appeal before the election, although appeals in France can take a long time—sometimes months or even years.
Since 2016, tougher anti-corruption laws in France have led to some immediate political bans, but Le Pen’s supporters believe the judges are unfairly getting involved in politics. Political expert Arnaud Benedetti said Le Pen’s ban is a major turning point in French politics. He called it a “seismic political event” that will change the situation, especially for right-wing politics.
Le Pen’s party, the National Rally (RN), may now turn to Jordan Bardella, a 29-year-old politician, as their likely candidate for 2027. However, Le Pen said she isn’t ready to step down yet, pointing out that millions of French people still support her.
While Bardella has attracted younger voters, some experts think he might not have enough experience to win over a larger group of voters. Additionally, the RN and some of its members were found guilty of misusing European Parliament funds and were ordered to pay a 2 million euro fine, with half of it suspended.
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