A French court has declared that Marine Le Pen is not allowed to stand in the elections. This decision is also dangerous because her party will now be able to present itself as a victim of the "petty and hated EU", writes in its commentary on the topic ARD.
For Marine Le Pen, this court decision is politically motivated and aimed at removing her from the presidential elections in 2027. Her reaction shows that the far-right leader is launching a frontal attack on the judicial system, reports the German public media ARD and quotes her reaction after the verdict was announced:
"Millions of French people are outraged, incredibly outraged. Because they saw that in France, the country of human rights, judges use practices known only to authoritarian regimes," Le Pen said, adding that she would appeal the court's decision.
Are the 2027 elections over?
There are other options, political scientist Benjamin Morel explains to ARD: Le Pen could challenge the constitutionality of the verdict. According to Morel, a lawsuit may be filed in six months to temporarily overturn the immediate implementation of the sentence.
Yet it seems that this is the end of her ambitions to run in the presidential elections in 2027, writes ARD, adding that it is unlikely that these appeals will be completed by then.
Some of Le Pen's competitors also criticize the decision
The immediate effect of the ban on participation in elections is a relatively harsh punishment, comments ARD, which is why the reactions are correspondingly strong: Laurent Vauquier, leader of the conservative party "Republicans" (Les Républicains) faction in the French parliament, warned of the possible consequences. "I don't often comment on court decisions, but this is a very serious and unusual sentence. "It is not healthy in a democratic country when an elected MP no longer has the right to participate in elections," he said.
The radical left-wing party "France Unrest" also criticized the ban on participation in elections. Prime Minister François Bayrou was "irritated" by the court's decision, ARD reported, citing his confidants. And the leader of the "National Rally" party, Jordan Bardella, wrote on Platform X that French democracy had been "executed."
Years of systematic waste
For historian Jean Garrig, these are dangerous attacks on the judicial system. "If you feel discriminated against simply because the laws were applied, and you call this a disregard for democracy, then that is very, very serious," he said. "The most serious thing is that a large part of the democratic forces are also attacking the rule of law," Garrig believes.
The court's decision will have political repercussions, and the full extent of its consequences cannot yet be assessed. However, one thing seems to be missing from this debate: the reason for the verdict. The court considers the accusation of systematic embezzlement of public funds by Le Pen and the "National Assembly" proven.
In a commentary by ARD correspondent in Paris, Julia Boruta, it is said that the judge's decision is harsh because the deprivation of the right to participate in elections takes effect immediately. It is also severe because the court accepts that there is a risk of relapse - that is, Marine Le Pen, the favorite for the next presidential election, could build a similar system of embezzlement at the national level.
“National Assembly“ in the role of victim
The decision shows that no matter how famous and influential someone is, they cannot enjoy concessions in court, the ARD commentary further writes. But this decision is also fatal, because now “National Assembly“ will be able to present itself as a victim and claim that the judges ignored the will of the people. It is not surprising that the party received support from right-wing nationalists in Hungary, Italy, Russia and the USA.
“I am afraid that “National Assembly“ already has an extremely effective message for the next election campaign, and it goes like this: “Because of the hated EU and its petty financial rules, because of the arrogance of an arrogant judicial system, we are forced to part with our beloved Marin, the savior of ordinary people,” writes Julia Boruta. And although this sentence contains nothing true, moderate parties will find it very difficult to oppose this narrative, comments ARD.