According to a BBC report, Marine Le Pen has been banned from running for office for five years.
This means she will not be able to contest the French presidential election in 2027.
Marine Le Pen was expecting a guilty verdict. But she was not expecting this.
In her mind – according to what she told a newspaper on Sunday – the judge would not "dare" to go so far as to bar her from running for the presidency.
She expected a period of ineligibility, yes – but one which would be on hold pending her appeal, thus opening the way for a fourth bid for the top job in 2027.
To be fair, it wasn’t just her who made that prediction. Plenty of commentators have been saying it would be a travesty of democracy if the most popular politician in the country was unable to run.
Even Marine Le Pen’s worst enemies – people like far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon and Prime Minister Francois Bayrou – made it clear they thought an immediate ineligibility would be unfair and unwise.
But it’s happened. And now the National Rally will have to start looking at Plan B for 2027.
