France's Le Pen Convicted of Graft, Barred from Running for President in 2027
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - A French court on Monday barred French far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running in the 2027 presidential election after she was convicted of embezzlement.
The French court's ruling was a catastrophic setback for Le Pen, 56. The National Rally (RN) party chief is one of the most prominent figures of the European far right, and a front-runner in polls for France's 2027 contest.
The ruling could have wide-ranging repercussions on French politics, upending the race to succeed President Emmanuel Macron and placing additional pressure on his weak minority government enfeebled after months of consecutive crises.
It is also likely to exacerbate growing global anger among right-wing leaders over unelected judges meddling in their mandates.
In a prime time TV interview on TF1, Le Pen said she was innocent, and would appeal as soon as possible against what she described as a politicized ruling aimed at blocking her presidential bid. She said she was currently out of the running for 2027, but would continue to fight for her future.
"Tonight there are millions of French people who are outraged, outraged to an unimaginable degree, seeing that in France, in the country of human rights, judges have implemented practices that we thought were reserved for authoritarian regimes," she said.
Le Pen's five-year public office ban cannot be suspended by appeal, although she will retain her parliamentary seat until her term ends. She also received a four-year prison sentence - two years of which are suspended and two years to be served under home detention, and a 100,000-euro ($108,200) fine, but they will not apply until her appeals are exhausted.
Le Pen's allies, as well as far-right leaders from Europe and around the world, have joined in condemning the ruling as judicial overreach.
France's High Council of the Judiciary expressed its concern over what it called "virulent reactions" provoked by the ruling.
"Statements by political leaders on the merits of the prosecution or the conviction, particularly during the deliberations, cannot be accepted in a democratic society," it said in a statement.
