FLASH
Shkruar nga Gavin Mortimer
The anger of its 11 million voters is likely to only grow in the coming days and weeks. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reacted to the decision by tweeting "Je Suis Marine" (Today I am a Marine). France may not have heard the final "crisis" of this battle yet...
Marine Le Pen's political career ended on Monday when a Paris judge found her guilty of embezzling European Union funds. She was sentenced to four years in prison, two of which will be suspended, and for the remaining two she will be kept under surveillance with an electronic ankle bracelet.
He was also fined 100,000 euros and banned from politics for 5 years. In fact, few people expected such a severe punishment, and it will surely cause shockwaves not only in France, but throughout Europe.
Also, along with the leader of the National Rally, 24 other members of her party were convicted - including 8 MEPs - all found guilty of transferring 2.9 million euros from EU funds to their party's coffers.
The judge accepted that there had been no personal enrichment by Le Pen or the other defendants. However, they had set up a "system" of embezzlement in 2009, which lasted until 2016.
In an interview with French media over the weekend, Le Pen had conveyed an air of confidence, saying she was “not anxious” about the possibility of being banned from politics. Other senior party leaders have also appeared confident in recent interviews that their leader is unlikely to lose this legal battle.
Perhaps they were encouraged by a poll published on Sunday, the day before the court's ruling, that confirmed Le Pen's status as a strong favorite for the 2027 presidential election. Most likely, they thought that no judge would dare disqualify the leader of the most popular party in France.
However, the judge in the case issued a surprise ruling, claiming not only that EU funds had been misused, but even accusing Le Pen and the other defendants of attempting to overthrow French democracy.
This statement may be viewed with irony by the 11 million voters who cast their ballots for the National Rally in last year's parliamentary elections. The decision came just two weeks after Cǎlin Georgescu was disqualified from running for president in Romania.
It will reinforce the impression among a growing number of Europeans that it is the EU elite that is subverting democracy. Even among Le Pen's political opponents in France, there will be little to cheer about.
Because Le Pen may have been expelled, but not her party, and neither is the number 2, Jordan Bardella, who is now likely to be the presidential candidate. He is young, but in 2027 he will be 31. And if Macron was elected president when he was still in his 30s, then why not Bardella?
He reacted sharply to the decision, writing on Twitter: “Today, not only has Marine Le Pen been unjustly sentenced, but French democracy has been sentenced to death!” More such reactions are expected to follow, including from Marion Maréchal, Le Pen’s niece, who is ideologically aligned with the conservative views of Giorgia Meloni in Italy and JDVance in the US.
France's Prime Minister, Francois Bayrou (who was acquitted last year of similar charges of misusing EU funds), recently admitted that if Le Pen were found guilty and banned from politics, it would "greatly affect public opinion."
One of his ministers, Aurore Bergé, spoke on Sunday about the electoral “consequences” if Le Pen were to be expelled from politics. Meanwhile, there could be other, more immediate consequences. Le Pen’s party could join the left in a vote of no confidence in Bayrou’s coalition government.
That happened in December last year to oust Michel Barnier, but this year the government has been more conciliatory with all sides. But not now. Le Pen may have left the scene, but perhaps her party will benefit from this trial.
The anger of its 11 million voters is likely to only grow in the coming days and weeks. Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán reacted to the decision by tweeting "Je Suis Marine" (Today I am a Marine). France may not have heard the final "crisis" of this battle yet. / Prepared by Pamphlet
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