Trial of Le Pen in France complicates far-right leader’s move to mainstream

livemint.com:

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. PARIS : Marine Le Pen and dozens of other members of National Rally stand trial on Monday on charges of misusing European funds, a case that risks disrupting the French politician’s efforts to carry her far-right party into the political mainstream. French prosecutors allege Le Pen and other National Rally leaders used close to 7 million euros—or around $7.8 million earmarked for assistants working inside the Strasbourg-based European Parliament—to pay party staffers in other parts of France between 2004 and 2017.

EU rules require European Parliament assistants to work at one of the body’s offices in Brussels, Strasbourg or Luxembourg and to reside near that workplace. A lawyer for Le Pen declined to comment. Le Pen has dismissed the allegations as an attempt to thwart National Rally when its influence is growing.

For the first time in its decadeslong history, National Rally became the single biggest party in France’s National Assembly after July’s snap elections splintered support for parties that sit elsewhere on the political spectrum. National Rally now holds enough seats to bring the new government down in a no-confidence vote, which left-leaning parties have vowed to put forward. Le Pen’s willingness to abstain from voting down the government has essentially given her veto power over any of its next measures.

The trial threatens to upend Le Pen and her ranks. If convicted, Le Pen faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of €1 million and a 10-year ban from holding public office. Any sentence that impedes her from holding office, analysts say, would be highly contentious—and therefore unlikely—because she is widely expected to run for president in 2027 when Emmanuel Macron’s second