Marine Le Pen could be prohibited in the elections of France if it is found guilty of embezzlement of funds

Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French far right, tried and failed three times to become president. Now, even if its popularity increases, it may be prohibited to participate in an election to lead France if it is found guilty of embezzlement of funds on Monday.

Such a verdict, far from being certain, was assimilated by Ms. Le Pen to a “political death” sentence and a “very violent attack on the will of the people”. This would ignite a major political storm at a time when the fifth French Republic appeared more and more dysfunctional.

On the one hand, the principle, while Nicolas Barret, one of the prosecutors, put him in closing arguments last year, that “we are not here in a political but legal arena, and the law applies to all”.

On the other hand lies fear, expressed by certain leading politicians, that a prohibition would undermine French democracy by nourishing a suspicion that it is distorted against the growing forces of the hard right.

“Madame Le Pen must be fought in the ballot boxes, not elsewhere,” wrote Gérald Darmanin, former Minister of the Central-Dutch interior, on X in November. He is now the Minister of Justice.

Ms. Le Pen, 56, has led her anti-immigrant party in recent years of her anti-Semitic roots to the general public. The party, which it went from the National Front to the National Rally, is now the largest single party in the National Assembly with 123 seats.