French right-wing leader and presidential hopeful Marine Le Pen was found guilty on Monday of embezzling European Parliament funds and declared ineligible to stand in elections for the next five years. Her lawyer confirmed that Le Pen will appeal the verdict, describing it as ‘a blow to democracy’.
Le Pen is the most prominent figure on the French right, with her party, National Rally (RN), leading in most national polls with a steady 35 per cent. The 2027 presidential election has long been seen as a potential breakthrough for both Le Pen and RN. However, the current ruling could disrupt those expectations. That said, as seen in the case of Donald Trump, legal convictions can sometimes boost a politician’s popularity, with many voters interpreting such rulings as the politicization of the judiciary against opposition figures.
Prosecutors first requested Le Pen be found guilty in November last year. According to the allegations, she, her party, and 24 other individuals—including current and former French lawmakers—illegally used European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016 to pay parliamentary assistants for party-related activities rather than EU affairs. Le Pen and her co-defendants have denied the charges.
RN leader Jordan Bardella reacted strongly on Monday, stating: ‘It’s not just Marine Le Pen who is unfairly condemned: it’s French democracy that is being executed.’
Le Pen is a close ally of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, with her party serving as the largest member of the Patriots for Europe political group in the European Parliament. ‘Je suis Marine!’ Orbán wrote on X ahead of the verdict, expressing his solidarity with the French leader.
Several other political allies also voiced their support. Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini—who himself faced prosecution last year before being acquitted in December—called the ruling a ‘bad film’ and a ‘declaration of war by Brussels’. Leader of the Dutch Freedom Party (PVV) Geert Wilders expressed shock over the ‘tough verdict’. ‘I support and believe in her 100% and I trust she will win the appeal and become President of France,’ he wrote on X.
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