In the trial of the parliamentary assistants of the National Front (former name of the National Rally), the defense now has the floor. The lawyers will argue for several days. The stakes are crucial for the accused and especially for Marine Le Pen against whom the prosecutors requested a sentence of ineligibility with immediate execution. A requisition which provoked a massive response in the ranks of the RN, because what is at stake is the participation of Marine Le Pen in the next presidential election.
2 mins
The best defense is attack, after requisitions, Marine Le Pen therefore decided to change strategy. She, who had wanted to play the good student during the first weeks of the trial, reports Valérie Gas from the RFI political department. The severity of the required sentences – which she considers excessive – led her to go on the offensive on the political front, starting by denouncing the partiality of the prosecutors who – according to her – want to condemn her to “political death” by preventing her from being a presidential candidate.
Also readMarine Le Pen prevented from running for president in 2027?
A message relayed by all the tenors of the RN, Jordan Bardella in the lead who rebel against the provisional execution of the sentence of ineligibility, which means that it would be applied without waiting for the result of the appeal procedures. A provision provided for in the law, but which could create an unprecedented situation for a potential presidential candidate.
A petition of support
Some opponents of Marine Le Pen have also regretted it, such as Jean-Luc Mélenchon or Gérald Darmanin; others, however, like Xavier Bertrand, believe that no one is above the law. The RN appeals to the French, a petition in support of Marine Le Pen has been launched and has already collected more than 100,000 signatures. The judges will decide in the spring of 2025 in a climate of tension.
Apart from the extreme right, most leaders of the right and center remained discreet in their reactions and hardly went in the direction of the RN, with the notable exception of the former Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin who judges “ deeply shocking that Marine Le Pen is deemed ineligible and, thus, cannot stand before the vote of the French “.
A position that goes down badly in the government camp. The Minister of Justice Didier Migaud, while refusing to comment on an individual case, recalled that “ magistrates are independent ” And “ judge based on the law passed by the legislator “.