The president of France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party has denounced a court’s decision to ban Marine Le Pen from holding public office for five years as “disproportionate, political, and partisan.” The ruling, stemming from Le Pen’s conviction for embezzling European Parliament funds, casts a shadow over her aspirations to run for the French presidency in 2027. Jordan Bardella, who is seen as the party’s “Plan B,” has pledged his unwavering loyalty to Le Pen and decried the punishment, arguing that it denies the French electorate their right to vote for her.

Bardella, who appeared on French television in the wake of the verdict, which has thrown French political landscape into turmoil, vehemently defended Le Pen and the RN, framing the embezzlement charges as “an administrative disagreement with the EU.” He dismissed the court’s decision as “brutal” and a miscarriage of justice against Le Pen and the RN, the largest party in the French Assemblée Nationale.

In addition to condemning the verdict, Bardella emphasized that Le Pen and the RN would explore all legal avenues to contest the ruling, including an appeal that he hopes will overturn the conviction and the ban on Le Pen’s public office eligibility in time for the 2027 elections. He called the RN’s voters “second-class citizens” and advocated for peaceful, democratic protests across the country and a leafletting campaign to mobilize support this weekend.

Bardella also underscored the RN’s position, stating, “We are not fascists, racists, or far-right; we are reasonable patriots who love our country and fight for the French people. We are fighting to gain power, not to remain in opposition.” The RN’s defiant stance against the court’s decision highlights the political tensions and the challenges facing the party in the wake of Le Pen’s conviction.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/01/marine-le-pen-ban-political-and-partisan-says-french-far-right-leader-jordan-bardella