❓WHAT HAPPENED: France’s top court confirmed a ban on Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Rally (RN) party, from running for office due to a controversial conviction.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Marine Le Pen, the French Council of State, and supporters of the National Rally party.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The ruling was upheld recently in Paris, France.
💬KEY QUOTE: “This is a bid by the judiciary to ‘steal’ the next election.” – Marine Le Pen
🎯IMPACT: The ban could deepen France’s political crisis, eroding public trust in the democratic process amid calls for new elections.
A Paris court has confirmed that Marine Le Pen, head of France’s poll-leading National Rally party, has been barred from running for office despite the increasing likelihood that French President Emmanuel Macron will be forced to call snap elections—or even dissolve the current Fifth Republic for a new constitution. The French Council of State rejected Le Pen’s appeal to overturn her “ineligibility” order, which was imposed in March and is being enforced immediately despite her ongoing appeal against the conviction itself.
Le Pen’s supporters have labeled the ruling as politically motivated, claiming it is solely intended to remove her from the ballot instead of serving justice. Le Pen herself has described the move as an attempt by the judiciary to “steal” the next election. The accusation stems from the perception that the law she is accused of breaking, related to campaign financing fraud, is selectively enforced against politicians who challenge the authority of the European Union (EU).
Le Pen’s appeal against the conviction is scheduled for January. If successful, her eligibility to run for office could be restored in time for the next planned French Presidential election. However, the immediate political climate in France is highly unstable, with governments collapsing rapidly and calls for fresh national elections intensifying.
The instability stems from a deeply divided parliament where no single party or coalition can form a majority. This gridlock has led to discussions about overhauling France’s political system, including the possibility of ending the Fifth Republic and introducing a new constitution and electoral framework.
In an interesting twist, Louis de Bourbon, Duke of Anjou and descendant of France’s last king, has expressed his readiness to serve the nation as king in a restored monarchy—though limited by a new, hypothetical constitution. Speaking to the French newspaper Journal du Dimanche, Bourbon, also known as Louis XX, criticized Macron’s government for its inability to address the country’s pressing issues and for plunging the nation into political chaos.
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