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Marine Le Pen banned from running for public office after guilty verdict (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 1 month ago by Duckxon@feddit.uk to c/world@lemmy.world

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[+] NotLemming@lemm.ee 210 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

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[-] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 128 points 1 month ago

don't be like us here in the US having a convicted felon run the show

[-] BrazenSigilos@ttrpg.network 60 points 1 month ago

I don't have an issue with a public servant holding office and having a criminal record. People make mistakes, and people can change. However, I think the fact the current president has made public and copious comments about dismantling the democracy that exists while showing a blatant disdain for the rights of people, that I have an issue with.

[-] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 31 points 1 month ago

i think we need there to be like… enough time for someone to rehabilitate themselves. trump didn't, and also the nature of his convictions were political corruption.

like. i think we fundamentally agree is what i'm saying, and i oversimplified it for my short little statement. i think there's all sorts of people in prison right now who once out deserve to have their voting rights restored and be allowed to participate in society (drug charges and political imprisonments mostly), but the nature and recency of donald trump's crimes should have disqualified him for running again, but the right is too addicted to power to risk giving it up to do the right thing.

[-] BrazenSigilos@ttrpg.network 12 points 1 month ago

I agree, the nature of the convictions should be a factor. I also agree that a sort of "cooldown" from a conviction would be reasonable, before having eligibility for holding political office restored. I've been leary of the simplified "convicts shouldn't hold office" statement though, since the original intention of that lack of disqualification criteria was, to my understanding, to prevent political imprisonment from barring opponents from holding office. That seems like the sort of thing the current administration would jump on if they could, as well.

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[-] Jaberw0cky@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

Sure, but it needs to be because she actually committed a crime, not as a convenient way just to block someone you think might win from running. I am going to assume in this case she is guilty and was found guilty fairly.

[-] BrowseMan@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I don't know how politicaly motivated the harshness of the judgment was (and not in a "the politics in power wanted her gone", more in a "the judiciary system realised shit is hitting the fan between US crazyness and Russian influence and decided to take a step and make an example") but the evidence were damming.

Proof is: the defense didn't even try to fight the evidence, rather the interpretation of it and the harshness of the sentence.

Another point to keep in mind: an ex president is being judged for corruption and the sentence requested by the DA is enormous. Apparently the judiciary system publicly told they wanted to put an end to a perceived leniency on the politics and regain public trust.

I'm just afraid this will result in an opposite effect.

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[-] cyrano@lemmy.dbzer0.com 57 points 1 month ago

For 5 years

[-] hikuro93@lemmy.ca 50 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Good. Still, any real consequences for her? Like prison time? Or will she be granted the usual politician/millionaire+ special treatment and just go on with her merry life minus the extra power?

Reminds me of Portugal's former PM (Mr. Socrates), a few years ago, and 'his' 20M€. Or the convicted felon running the White House currently.

[-] skube@lemm.ee 50 points 1 month ago

"Le Pen, who left the court before the hearing had finished, was also sentenced to four years in prison with two years suspended and and the other two to be served outside jail with an electronic bracelet."

She can appeal the prison sentence, but the office part has taken effect even if she appeals.

[-] FundMECFSResearch 8 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

(so she’s on probation for two years in practice, better than nothing I guess.)

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[-] Ziggurat@jlai.lu 9 points 1 month ago

I believe that in French law, for sentence up to two year, you have the right to ask for an alternative to jail. And considering that she isn't homeless and has a steady job, she'll get house-arrest out of business hours. (But it's not just for politicians and billionaire, just that the average convict doesn't have a house and a steady job, so their case is kinda empty at this stage)

But loosing her right to run for election is a pretty big one.

[-] MudMan@fedia.io 7 points 1 month ago

You'd think "not being president" is pretty life changing, but what do I know. In any case, there is a four year prison sentence in there as well. Presumably pending appeal. I have no idea how the French penal system deals with it after that if it holds.

[-] hikuro93@lemmy.ca 19 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

"Not being president" is not a punishment. Just the absence of a reward for her corruption. If the worst she had was "not being rewarded", then what stops every other crook from attempting to seize power?

Absence of a reward is not a consequence for breaking the rules. A consequence for breaking the law is the actual punishment, and that also serves as a warning to any other people wanting to do the same.

That's what's wrong with the system we currently have, and I'm glad at least she got prison out of it. Leniency is what got us here. There's got to be actual hard consequences for mocking the system. Rules are only as good as the willingness to apply consequences for breaking them. It's that simple.

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[-] Sixtyforce@sh.itjust.works 45 points 1 month ago

Enforcing laws on rich/powerful, novel concept in some lands.

[-] Snowpix@lemmy.ca 40 points 1 month ago

What? A right-wing politician actually being held accountable for being awful and a criminal?

Never thought I'd see the day. Good job, France!

[-] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 39 points 1 month ago

This is honestly a fantastic development. Vive la République!

[-] Sundiata@lemmy.world 32 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Fuck its only for 5 years.

[-] childOfMagenta@lemm.ee 20 points 1 month ago

She was pushing for lifetime bans... When it wasn't her.

[-] samuelazers@lemmy.world 27 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

They are learning from America and trying a different approach... Jail extremists before extremists jail you.

[-] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 21 points 1 month ago

So presidential! She could be our new president here in the US! Imagine that! First Felon woman president!

Man! We're busting glass ceilings!

[-] Hadriscus@lemm.ee 5 points 1 month ago

Please, have her

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[-] octopus_ink@slrpnk.net 18 points 1 month ago

US right now:

[-] MudMan@fedia.io 16 points 1 month ago

Normally you'd expect this to be pretty definitive, but fascists are real good at playing victims, so I'm not particularly convinced this will move things in the right direction. Electoral losses would have been preferable.

Of course if she did the thing, she did the thing. I'm saying all things being equal I want to see these idiots lose support without having excuses to target democratic institutions in retaliation.

[-] synapse1278@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Some "sympathizers" are already crying the justice is interfering with politics. Although the suspension of electoral rights is inscribed in the law, and would you expect anything less of a punishment for someone who corrupted millions of € of public money ?!?

These same "sympathizers" are constantly shouting everywhere that our justice is to soft and that criminals should be punished more harshly.

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[-] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 16 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Good. In my country, a former PM who embezzled 1.6B is on the verge of being set free, with little in the way of jail time, while a construction worker who stole a loaf of bread got 40 years. Wtf.

Edit: I got the bread story wrong. Not the 1.6B.

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[-] carrion0409@lemm.ee 13 points 1 month ago

If only America would've done this after Jan 6th

[-] O_R_I_O_N@lemm.ee 11 points 1 month ago

I wish we could do that in the USA. Must be nice to have a functional government.

[-] MuskyMelon@lemmy.world 9 points 1 month ago

Waiting for the orange fascist to threaten France with tariffs for this.

[-] robador51@lemmy.ml 9 points 1 month ago

Of course Le Pen's reaction is that this is politically motivated. I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of this case, but am assuming the verdict is sound. Reactions like this are in my mind more serious than the actual offence; they undermine the rule of law. If found guilty in her appeal they should take this reaction into account and ban her from office forever.

[-] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

The French justice system wins and the USA fails.

[-] HawlSera@lemm.ee 8 points 1 month ago

What AMerica should have done with Trump

[-] futatorius@lemm.ee 5 points 1 month ago

Worse than that would be justified.

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[-] Freshparsnip@lemm.ee 8 points 1 month ago

Trump should have been banned from running for public office

[-] futatorius@lemm.ee 8 points 1 month ago

Now do Farage.

[-] Grizzlyboy@lemm.ee 6 points 1 month ago

Elon and Trump will call France out for being anti democracy because of this. Changing the narrative that Europe isn’t a democracy anymore, but the extremely flawed American system is.

[-] Echolynx@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 month ago

For just five years, though. Don't bury the lede.

[-] tiefling 12 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

It's 5 more years than any other recent fascist has gotten

[-] quack@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 month ago

Common French W.

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this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2025

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