A fraught moment in French politics

Although the court verdict undermines Le Pen's drive for respectability and destabilises the RN for now, it could strengthen the far right eventually

- ATANU BISWAS

ANÉANTIR, WHICH TRANSLATES to "Annihilate," "Destroy," or "Obliterate," is a 730-page novel written by Michel Houellebecq, one of France's most provocative authors, published during the 2022 French presidential campaign.

It's in a setting of the run-up to the 2027 French presidential election when the outgoing youthful president, similar to Emmanuel Macron, was completing his second term in office.

Despite Marine Le Pen's resignation as the National Rally's leader, far-right candidate Éric Zemmour continues to stir up trouble.

The story blends romance, mystery, politics, and espionage.

The spectre of ultra-rights and neo-fascism is haunting Europe now—175 years after the Communist Manifesto was first published.

The far right is spreading its tentacles across the continent.

And Le Pen certainly was the face of the European far right, long before Giorgia Meloni rose to prominence.

On March 31, after a court found Le Pen guilty of a massive scheme to swindle funds from the European Parliament, she was prohibited from running for public office with immediate effect, including for President in 2027.

Though she planned to file an appeal, the procedure might take months or perhaps years, solidifying the ban as the country prepares for elections.

It's certainly a political earthquake.

Le Pen, the leader of the far-right anti-immigration party National Rally (RN), may have been within a handshake's distance of becoming President of France in 2027.