PARIS (Reuters) – French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was handed a five-year ban from running for public office after being convicted on Monday of embezzlement, almost certainly preventing her planned run for president in 2027.
The decision is a devastating blow for Le Pen, head of the National Rally (RN) party that is leading polls for the 2027 presidential race. She had previously stated this would be her fourth and final attempt at the French presidency.
Here are political reactions from France and other parts of the world to the sentence.
JORDAN BARDELLA, NATIONAL RALLY PRESIDENT
“Today it is not only Marine Le Pen who was unjustly condemned: It was French democracy that was killed.”
ERIC CIOTTI, FORMER PRESIDENT OF CENTRE-RIGHT REPUBLICANS
“The democratic destiny of our nation confiscated by an outrageous judicial cabal. The favoured candidate in the presidential election prevented from running. This is not a simple dysfunction. It is a system to capture power that systematically throws aside any candidate that is too far on the right and who has a chance of winning.”
ERIC ZEMMOUR, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE’S FAR-RIGHT RECONQUEST PARTY
“It is not for judges to decide who the people must vote for. Whatever our disagreements, Marine Le Pen is legitimate to present herself for the vote.”
FABIEN ROUSSEL, NATIONAL SECRETARY OF FRENCH COMMUNIST PARTY
“Justice is justice … Ms. Le Pen is a politician who demands firmness on the part of the judiciary! Respect the judicial system then.”
FRANCE UNBOWED, FAR-LEFT PARTY
“The facts that have been declared true are particularly serious … As for the rest, France Unbowed has never expected to use the courts as a way to get rid of the National Rally. We fight them at the ballot box and in the streets, with the mobilisation of the French people, as we did during the 2024 legislative elections. We will fight again tomorrow in the polls, whoever is their candidate.”
MARINE TONDELIER, NATIONAL SECRETARY FOR FRANCE’S GREEN PARTY
“Marine Le Pen must serve her sentence. She is a defendant like any other.”
MATTEO SALVINI, ITALY’S FAR-RIGHT DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
“People who are afraid of the judgment of the voters are often reassured by the judgment of the courts. In Paris they have condemned Marine Le Pen and would like to exclude her from political life – an ugly film that we are also seeing in other countries such as Romania. The ruling against Marine Le Pen is a declaration of war by Brussels, at a time when the warlike impulses of Von der Leyen and Macron are frightening. We will not be intimidated, we will not stop: full steam ahead my friend!”
DMITRY PESKOV, KREMLIN SPOKESMAN
“Well, indeed, more and more European capitals are going down the path of trampling over democratic norms. Of course, we do not want to interfere in France’s internal affairs, we have never done so, and this is France’s internal affair. But in general, our observations of European capitals show that they are not at all reluctant to go beyond democracy during the political process.”
GEERT WILDERS, DUTCH FAR-RIGHT LEADER
“I am shocked by the incredible tough verdict against (Marine Le Pen). I support and believe in her 100% and I trust she will win the appeal and become President of France.”
GEORGE SIMION, HARD-RIGHT ROMANIAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
“Targeting or annihilating your political opponent by any means is straight out of the instruction manual of totalitarian regimes. This happened today in (France).”
SANTIAGO ABASCAL, PRESIDENT OF SPAIN’S FAR-RIGHT VOX PARTY
“They will not succeed in silencing the voice of the French people.”
TOM VAN GRIEKEN, LEADER OF BELGIUM’S FAR-RIGHT FLEMISH SEPARATIST PARTY VLAAMS BELANG
“When nationalist politicians gain popularity, the system seeks other, non-democratic ways to silence them. What is happening in France today is an attack on democracy. (Marine Le Pen) can continue to count on our support!”
VIKTOR ORBAN, HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER
“I am Marine!”
(Reporting by Makini Brice and Gianluca Lo Nostro; additional reporting by Gleb Stolyarov in Moscow, Crispian Balmer in Rome and Charlotte Van Campenhout in Amsterdam; editing by Mark Heinrich)