Commotion over Marine Le Pen’s conviction

A French court has convicted the far-right leader of France’s National Rally, Marine Le Pen, 56, for embezzling European Union funds to pay for her party staff, sentencing her to four years in prison - two of which have been suspended, two are to be served through electronic means - and more importantly declared her ineligible to fight elections for three years, thus limiting her candidacy in the 2027 presidential election.

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The lawyers of Le Pen have said that they would appeal the conviction. What is interesting is the intense reaction to the news in France and in Europe. Opponents or supporters of Le Pen were out on the streets, and right-wing leaders from nations like Hungary, Romania, and Italy came out in her support.

Many of the right-wing leaders see the verdict as an attempt to thwart the right-wing leader from becoming the president of France. They have no doubt that it would have won the 2027 election. She was a runner-up in the 2017 and 2022 elections, which the centrist Emmanuel Macron had won.