PARIS, April 1. /TASS/. The majority of French voters are still ready to cast their ballot for a candidate from the National Rally party at the 2027 presidential election even if head of the party’s parliamentary faction Marine Le Pen cannot run due to the court ruling, according to an opinion poll held by Toluna Harris Interactive at the request of the RTL radio station.
From 35 to 36% of respondents surveyed on March 31, following the announcement of the verdict against Le Pen over the parliamentary assistants case, asserted that in the first round of the presidential election, they will support the party’s nominal leader Jordan Bardella in the event of his nomination instead of Le Pen.
According to a survey published by Le Journal du Dimanche on March 30, Le Pen could have led in the first round, garnering from 34% to 37% of votes. Given any development of events, her main opponents would be representatives from France’s incumbent President Emmanuel Macron’s camp - former prime ministers Edouard Philippe (20-25%) and Gabriel Attal (20%).
On Monday, Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison and the immediate loss of her electoral rights for five years, according to the ruling of a Paris court in the parliamentary assistants case. Under the verdict, Le Pen will be required to wear an electronic bracelet for two of the four years. She has also been ordered to pay a €100,000 penalty. Due to her immediate disqualification from holding office, Le Pen will be unable to run in the 2027 French presidential election.
Le Pen was found guilty of embezzling funds intended for hiring assistants in the European Parliament.
In addition, the court convicted eight legislators and 12 parliamentary assistants, estimating the total funds involved at €4 million. It noted, however, that the defendants did not outright steal the money for themselves but rather directed the funds toward the party’s needs.
The investigation into financial misconduct began in 2014, when the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) demanded that Le Pen reimburse €339,000. The politician was accused of using European Parliament funds to pay the salaries of her office head, Catherine Grisez, and security guard Thierry Legier, while they were still employed by her party. According to the investigation, Le Pen allegedly orchestrated a financial scheme whereby EU funds were embezzled under the guise of paying non-existent assistants in the European Parliament.
The head of the National Rally’s parliamentary faction categorically rejected the charges during the trial. Le Pen stated that the prosecutor’s demands were an attempt to undermine the party.