France Has Banned Its Main Far-Right Leader From Running For Election After She Was Found Guilty Of Corruption
The 56-year-old politician has been the dominant far-right figure in France for over a decade.
French authorities have banned far-right politician Marine Le Pen from running for office after a court found her guilty of corruption.
56-year-old Le Pen, who is a member of the far-right National party, National Rally (RN) party, and the dominant far-right figure in France for over a decade, has run for the French presidency three times, losing twice to Emmanuel Macron.
She has managed to slowly grow the number of voters each election and was considered a strong contender in France’s 2027 presidential elections.
However, a French court found her guilty of embezzling EU funds, accusing her of using more than 4 million euros (US$4.3 million) to pay her party’s staff and banned from running for office for five years on Monday, March 31.
The court also sentenced her to a four-year prison sentence, with two years under house arrest and two years suspended.
Le Pen will also have to pay a fine of €100,000 (about US$108,000), while the RN party will have to pay another €2 million, half the amount embezzled.
Le Pen said she was innocent, adding that the ruling aimed at blocking her presidential bid.
"I'm not going to let myself be eliminated like this," Le Pen said in an interview, adding that she will appeal the court’s verdict, which might take years.
Analysts have said the verdict is a “seismic political event”, which will “reshuffle” the right wing movement in France, according to Reuters.
Le Pen had run a campaign promoting economic nationalism, advocating for laws prioritizing national industries, while also supporting stricter immigration laws.
Le Pen said she is out of the 2027 presidential elections but will continue to fight for her political future, Reuters reported.
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