PARIS, April 3. /TASS/. More than half of French residents believe that democracy in France is "working poorly," according to the results of a public opinion poll conducted by the CSA sociological service for Le Journal du Dimanche (JDD), the CNews TV channel and the Europe 1 radio station.
It noted that 61% of respondents are displeased with the way democracy is working in France. Thirty-nine per cent of those polled have the opposite point of view.
The majority of those supporting right-wing parties expressed concern over the observance of the principles of a constitutional state: such an opinion was voiced by 81% of the National Rally supporters and 63% of Republicans.
The survey was conducted on April 1-2 among 1,010 individuals over 18. The margin of error was not indicated.
The JDD newspaper, which cited the poll, reiterated that it was held following the announcement of the verdict against head of the National Rally’s parliamentary faction Marine Le Pen over the parliamentary assistants case. The court ruling triggered criticism of excessively vast judicial powers.
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.