On Monday, a French court formally prohibited Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally (RN) party, from participating in the 2027 presidential election following her conviction for embezzlement. This ruling represents a significant setback for Le Pen and her party, given that she is currently the leading candidate in the polls for the upcoming election.
Le Pen’s strong connections with Vladimir Putin, her endorsement of Russian viewpoints regarding Ukraine, and her opposition to fundamental European Union values raise considerable concerns regarding her potential influence as President. Furthermore, her alliances with anti-democratic leaders, such as Viktor Orbán of Hungary and Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, pose additional risks to the future stability of the European Union.
France’s strategic position is critical for European security as the foremost military power and the sole nuclear state within the EU. The prospect of such a prominent nation succumbing to the influence of Putin’s Russia is profoundly troubling.
This ruling emerges at a time when the European far right is perceived as functioning as a “fifth column” that facilitates Russian agendas against Europe. The continent is currently contending with various hybrid warfare challenges, which range from orchestrated migrant issues at the Polish border with Belarus to cyberattacks against EU institutions and heightened espionage efforts in Austria and other member states. Furthermore, recent Russian interference in the Romanian presidential election prompted the Romanian Constitutional Court to annul the election results, thereby calling for new elections scheduled for May, amidst indications of Kremlin backing for far-right candidates.
The court’s decision may have profound implications for the French far-right political landscape, necessitating the selection of an alternative candidate. Jordan Bardella has been identified as a potential successor, and recent polling data from Odoxa, released on Monday, indicates that he enjoys greater popularity among RN affiliates than Marine Le Pen.
Supporters of Le Pen have attributed the court’s ruling to the influence of “corrupted elites,” thus revealing their diminished confidence in the integrity of the French judicial system and support for the use of taxpayer resources by Le Pen and other RN politicians for activities unrelated to their responsibilities in the European Parliament.
