Marine Le Pen banned from French presidential race
Far-right leaders have strongly criticized a Paris court’s decision to ban Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, from running in the 2027 French presidential election.
A court ruling on Monday stated that Le Pen, a three-time presidential candidate, would be barred from participating in the upcoming election following her conviction for embezzling European Union funds. Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison, with two years suspended to be served under house arrest, along with a €100,000 ($108,000) fine. Her political party, National Rally, was also fined €2 million. The party condemned the trial as politically motivated.
In her initial response to the verdict, Le Pen denounced the decision as “political,” claiming it was intended to prevent her from running for president. “It was a political decision that was made,” she said in an interview shared on X. “The magistrate took it upon herself to implement the provisional execution of the ineligibility, to render my appeal on this matter useless.”
Le Pen vowed to pursue all legal avenues and remain steadfast in her commitment to the French people, claiming millions of French citizens trust her and that the ruling violated the rule of law.
The conviction and the ruling banning her from running sparked reactions from international political figures. US President Donald Trump compared the court’s ruling to his own legal challenges, calling it “a very big deal.”
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce expressed concern over the exclusion of individuals from political processes due to legal battles, drawing parallels to her country’s situation.
Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini denounced the conviction as “a declaration of war by Brussels,” suggesting it was politically motivated. “Those who fear the judgment of the voters are often reassured by the judgment of the courts,” he said.
US political figures like Donald Trump Jr. also voiced their disapproval of the decision, while Dutch politician Geert Wilders expressed his strong support for Le Pen, vowing to back her through her appeal.
Russia condemned the court’s decision as a politically motivated attack on democratic norms, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov commenting that more European capitals are increasingly stepping outside democratic boundaries.
