Displaying items by tag: Rally National

Marine le Pen has been barred from public office for five years due to EU fund embezzlement, jeopardising her 2027 presidential hopes. Though her four-year jail sentence (two years suspended) is pending appeal, the disqualification took immediate effect. Her party, National Rally (RN), appeared stunned and unprepared, holding emergency talks. While an appeal might overturn the ban, odds remain slim. Party president Jordan Bardella would be a potential successor, but not everyone is a fan, partly because he is only 29. Despite the ruling, Le Pen defiantly vowed to fight on, decrying the court’s decision as political. In the short term, the RN may gain support as the verdict reinforces their anti-establishment stance. Long-term, losing the charismatic le Pen may weaken their appeal. Meanwhile, in parliament she may abandon any pretence of cooperation, potentially destabilising prime minister François Bayrou's fragile administration.

Opponents of Marine le Pen’s far-right party National Rally (RN) have intensified efforts to block it from power, with over 200 candidates withdrawing from run-off elections to avoid splitting the anti-RN vote. RN led the first-round vote; the radical left-wing LFI was second, and Macron's centrist group third. Polls give RN between 250 and 300 seats: they need 289 for an outright majority. Macron has said that the top priority is blocking the RN, even if that meant endorsing an LFI candidate, but it was uncertain whether voters would follow that route. Le Pen stated RN would not form a government without a workable majority, hinting at alliances with other parties if needed. The RN would cut funding to the EU, and its anti-migrant policies have been criticised by human rights groups. There are fears that a hung parliament would lead to policy paralysis for the remaining three years of Macron's presidency.