Marine Le Pen, the French far-right leader, has tried and failed three times to become president. Despite her growing popularity, she may be barred from participating in an election to lead France if found guilty of embezzlement. A guilty verdict, which is far from certain, would trigger a major political storm and raise concerns about French democracy. Some politicians argue that a ban would undermine democracy by creating a perception that it is skewed against the growing forces of the hard right. Prosecutors have accused Le Pen and other members of the National Rally of embezzling millions in European Union funds through no-show jobs at the European Parliament. Le Pen denies the charges and her lawyers argue that the law under which she could be banned from running for office was not in place at the time of the alleged scheme. The prosecution has requested a five-year prison sentence and a five-year ban on running for public office. If imposed, the disqualification would exclude her from the 2027 presidential election. The National Rally has been hesitant to speculate on the consequences of a possible ban, with Le Pen’s natural successor being Jordan Bardella. European democracies have a history of fragility and are aware of the dangers posed by authoritarian extreme-right movements.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/30/world/europe/le-pen-embezzlement-trial-france-election.html