France: will Le Pen be barred from running for president?
The verdict in the appeal case against Marine Le Pen is expected today, Tuesday. A Paris court will decide whether to uphold the first-instance ruling and find Le Pen guilty of misappropriating EU funds. In addition to a prison sentence and a fine, Le Pen would be barred from standing for election for five years, as of spring 2025.
An explosive ruling
The judges face a dilemma, L'Opinion explains:
“If they uphold the verdict against Marine Le Pen in its entirety, they will be accused of grave interference in a crucial democratic process. ... If, on the other hand, they were to slightly reduce the penalties – by waiving the immediate enforcement of the ban on standing for election or by ordering that the RN leader wear an electronic tag instead of going to prison – they would be accused of mere cosmetics because the substance of the conviction would remain unchanged. But if the appeal judges clear Marine Le Pen of all charges that could prevent her from standing as a candidate in the next presidential election, they will immediately be accused of yielding to political pressure and increasing the far right's chances of coming to power.”
Bardella would shift RN agenda
Ouest-France highlights the differences between Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, who would run for president if her appeal fails:
“She is populist, sovereignist, and favours an interventionist, welfare state. He is free-market liberal, identitarian, pro-employer and pro-Trump, and advocates a union of the right with Marion Maréchal and Éric Ciotti. Marked differences of opinion have publicly emerged between them in recent days, on issues such as pensions and the taxation of super-profits. ... Whereas Marine Le Pen has plenty of experience under her belt, the way Jordan Bardella presents himself is more like an influencer than an old-school politician.”