Marine Le Pen is running headlong into the presidential elections, and a potential legal minefield that could blow up at the last minute
The path to the French presidency is never straightforward, but in the case of Marine Le Pen, it has never been so awkward.
Having been convicted on Tuesday of embezzling EU funds – but not barred from contesting the presidential elections next year – the leader of France’s far-right National Rally announced her intention to run, having rejected Tuesday’s ruling, which would only have allowed her to do so while wearing surveillance technology.
Having appealed the latest verdict, Le Pen’s case will then go to France’s highest court. But the lengthy judicial process is at odds with the tight timeline of the first round of the elections on 18 April. And while the court decisions are strictly legal, the political implications are vast.
“I am a candidate for the presidential election. I will not change my mind,” she said. “There is no longer any scenario in which I cannot be a candidate.”
