Five years in prison and five years of ineligibility with immediate execution. The prosecution’s requisitions against Marine Le Pen in the context of the affair of the European assistants of the National Rally (RN) have aroused fear within the far-right party, but not only: several political leaders have expressed their disapproval of the sentence incurred by the three-time presidential candidate. Reactions which demonstrate in particular a discomfort with the laws of moralization of public life.
Among the strongest reactions, that of the former Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin: Marine Le Pen “ cannot be condemned electorally, without the expression of the people » judges the now simple Macronist deputy. Gerald Darmanin believes that preventing the leader of the National Rally (RN) from participating in the presidential election would amount to “ widen the difference between the elites and the vast majority of our fellow citizens “.
If not everyone displays it openly, many elected officials are indeed worried about the impact on the population of the sidelining of Marine Le Pen. For the Insoumis leader Jean-Luc Mélenchonnot letting Marine Le Pen complete her appeals before pronouncing a sentence of ineligibility would make it worse. the political crisis without any benefit for society “. To put it simply, he fears that this will ultimately strengthen the RN camp. A vision shared by political scientist Benjamin Morel, for whom such a condemnation would be incomprehensible to Marine Le Pen’s electorate and would absolutely not cause her to lose any votes.
Personal concerns and political ulterior motives
For Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who believes he is a victim of “ lawfare”, that is to say a political judicial relentlessness, it is obviously difficult to apply double standards. Concerning Gérald Darmanin, it’s a little more complicated. The former top cop in France wants to capitalize politically on a right-wing, but social, fiber, ultimately quite close to Marine Le Pen, whom he had also accused of “ softness » a few years ago. However, the putative successor of the head of the RN is Jordan Bardella which plows a furrow closer to that of Eric Zemmour: union of radical rights and economic liberalism. Gérald Darmanin could therefore in fact be eyeing the Lepénist electorate.
In short, recovery, but which thrives on a paradox, judges Benjamin Morel. That of having politicians deeming laws to moralize public life excessive while denouncing for years a laxity of justice. Populism that hits them in the face, concludes the political scientist.
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