After her conviction: Le Pen to appeal against tag
An appeal court has upheld the conviction of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen for embezzlement of EU funds. However, the ban on holding public office has been reduced, which allows her to run for president in the 2027 election. Two years of her three-year prison sentence have been suspended. For the remaining year, she will be required to wear an electronic ankle tag. Le Pen intends to appeal the decision and has said she will run for president "without a tag".
Voters to decide on rule of law
With her announcement in the TV interview yesterday evening, Le Pen made clear that she will be putting the rule of law to the test, Libération observes:
“Of course the problem is not that the former RN leader wants to bring the case before the court of cassation – it is her right to do so. The problem lies in the way Le Pen justified her decision to stand as a candidate, with remarks that seemed to cast doubt on the rule of law, from which she had benefited only hours before. Ultimately this day, between 2 pm in Paris's Palais de Justice and 8 pm on TV, was the perfect metaphor for the choice that voters will be presented with in spring 2027: for or against the rule of law.”
Convicted presidents the new normal?
El País sees parallels with US President Donald Trump:
“The verdict leaves no doubt as to her guilt. … At the same time, however, the sentence is lenient enough to allow her to stand for election. ... This has deprived her of one of her favourite arguments, namely that the French judiciary is interfering in the democratic process and that there is a conspiracy against her bid for the Élysée Palace. The message is clear: judges rule on the legality of actions, but in the end it is the public who decides who will govern. … In the US, we are now used to having a convicted president. In the French Republic and in Europe, this should never become the norm.”
A risky move
Salzburger Nachrichten points out that running for election while grappling with legal proceedings will not be without risks for Le Pen:
“On the one hand, not all potential voters are likely to take kindly to the fact that Rassemblement National's lead candidate is a convicted criminal. On the other hand, the public prosecutor's office could still lodge an appeal, leading to further legal proceedings that could end in a long-term ban from standing for election after all. Such a ban would then be final – and would force RN to switch candidates in the middle of the election campaign.”
RN more electable than ever
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung comments:
“The legal disputes have undoubtedly strengthened the Rassemblement National. ... Bardella made shrewd use of his time as the replacement candidate, targeting new voter demographics. Now he is actually topping Le Pen in the polls. She will be hoping that this surge in popularity will also work in her favour. ... The RN is also profiting from a development that is outside its control, namely that new, much more radical parties are forming on the periphery of the political landscape. ... Suddenly RN, and especially the Bardella wing, look like a moderate alternative.”
Acid test for the party
The verdict will show just how far social acceptance of the RN has progressed, observes La Libre Belgique:
“For 15 years, Le Pen has been trying to transform an extremist party into a political formation that is deemed capable of governing the country. ... She has established the RN in the provinces and made it socially acceptable to a section of the population. Despite all the scandals, contradictions, inconsistencies in policy, legal baggage and now a serious conviction, the RN continues to grow. ... By clinging to her candidacy at all costs, Marine Le Pen is banking on the fact that the RN's normalisation and popularity have now advanced so far that her electorate will forgive her for misappropriating public funds – nothing less.”