Le Pen defiant after being barred from office

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen was banned from running for public office with immediate effect on Monday after a court found her guilty of misappropriating European Union funds.

The court ruled that Le Pen and her National Rally party (RN) misused €3 million ($3.25 million) in European Parliament funds meant for parliamentary assistants.

What did Le Pen say about the ruling?

“Let’s be clear, I am eliminated but in reality its millions of French people whose voices have been eliminated,” Le Pen told broadcaster TF1, adding she had no confidence in an appeal being heard before the 2027 French Presidential election.

In a combative interview, she nevertheless insisted that she would “no way” be retiring from political life.

“I am going to appeal because I am innocent,” she said. “I’m not going to let myself be eliminated like this. I’m going to pursue whatever legal avenues I can. There is a small path. It’s certainly narrow, but it exists.”

Prosecutors alleged that the money in question was used to pay France-based party staff between 2004 and 2016, violating EU rules.

The ban will last for five years, as demanded by prosecutors. She has also been handed a four-year prison term, with two years as a suspended sentence and two to be served under house arrest with an electronic tag.

During sentencing earlier on Monday, Le Pen left the court dramatically before anything was said about the duration of the ban.

Le Pen’s political future

Prosecutors asked that Le Pen face an immediate five-year ban from public office if found guilty, regardless of any appeal process.

This would prevent her from running in the 2027 presidential election, where she is a leading contender. Her lawyers said they would appeal the verdict. This would trigger a retrial, likely in 2026, just months before the vote.

Even with an appeal, however, the ban kicks it immediately.

Le Pen’s party said the trial is a judicial overreach, similar to what US President Donald Trump had said about his legal troubles in the past.

“With provisional execution, the judges have the power of life or death over our movement,” she said. “But I don’t think they’ll go that far.”

Some of her rivals, including Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, have expressed concern over courts deciding who can run for office.

RN president Jordan Bardella, 29, has been tipped as a potential replacement for Le Pen at the 2027 presidential election. He, however, is not expected to match her electoral appeal.

The judge on Monday also handed down guilty verdicts to eight other members of her party who, like Le Pen, served as lawmakers in the European Parliament.

Twelve parliamentary assistants were also found guilty.

Mixed reactions at home and abroad

US President Donald Trump said Le Pen’s sentencing and ban on running in the 2027 presidential election was “a very big deal.”

Trump also compared Le Pen’s conviction to his own legal battles. “She was banned from running for five years and she was the leading candidate. That sounds like this country,” Trump told reporters on Monday.

Russia slammed the court’s ruling, alleging that it was another indication that democracy was under threat in Europe.

“More and more European capitals are going down the path of violating democratic norms,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose Fidesz party forms part of the European far-right spectrum, also offered his “support” after hearing the news of the court’s verdict.

One of the angriest reactions came from Italy’s deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, who leads the far-right League party. He called the verdict a “declaration of war by Brussels.”

Lining up alongside Russia and Europe’s right-wing leaders were the United States, with State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce telling reporters: “Exclusion of people from the political process is particularly concerning given the aggressive and corrupt lawfare waged against President Trump here in the United States.”

Seemingly not understanding that Le Pen has been barred from running for office after being found guilty of embezzlement, not because of her political views, Bruce added: “We support the right of everyone to offer their views in the public square – agree or disagree.”

Back in France, Le Pen ally Bardella, for his part, said French democracy had been “executed” with the “unjust” verdict.

Another French far-right figure, Eric Zemmour of the Reconquest Party, said it was “not for judges to decide who the people must vote for,” adding that Le Pen was a legitimate candidate.

However, Fabien Roussel, the national secretary of the French Communist Party, said the court’s decision must be respected.

Marine Tondelier, the national secretary of France’s Green Party, was of the same opinion.

“Marine Le Pen must serve her sentence. She is a defendant like any other,” she said.

This article was updated on March 1, 2025 to include comments made by US President Donald Trump.