PARIS (AP) – For years, the Marines stood on the door of power – courteous, ruthless and upward. She stripped off the far right of the old French symbol, polished the roughest edges, and built a smooth, disciplined machine in its place with the goal of winning the presidency of the country.
In 2022, she is closer than anyone thought, winning over 40% of the vote in a shot against Emmanuel Macron. The Olisi Palace seems to be accessible.
Now, her political future may be in ruins. On Monday, a French court ruled Le Pen misappropriated EU funds and banned her from serving for five years. What the sentence might do is not only likely to disengage her from the next presidential campaign. It may have ended Western Europe’s most enduring far-right bid since World War II, surpassing only in the results of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
But in the next few years, a political earthquake in Le Pen will rise.
Family Legacy – Rewrite
Le Pen was born in 1968 in a family on the fringe of French politics. In 1972, her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, established rooted in racism, anti-Semitism and a desire for the lost French empire.
She was only 8 years old when a bomb destroyed the apartment of the family in Paris and was widely regarded as an attempt to assassinate her father. No one was seriously hurt, but the explosion marked her life. It gave her a lasting feeling, she said, that her family was hated and that they would never be treated like everyone else.
She is a young woman who studied law, became a defense attorney, and learned how to argue about her way through a hostile room. Politically, she didn’t wait for her turn. In 2011, she gained control of the party from her father. In 2015, she fired Tirade after one of his massacres.
She changed her name to National Assembly. She replaced the free radicals of the leather jacket with tailored blazers and conversation points. She talks about race and talks more about the French way of life. She warned of the “civilized threat”, demanded a ban on the hijab and promised to put French families first.
Her tone changed. Her message was not available.
In her most harsh political exercise, she searches for a group despised by her father: the LGBTQ community. Le Pen fills her inner circle with an openly gay aide, skips public protests about same-sex marriage and places herself in “Islamic danger” as a protector of sexual minorities.
Critics call it “pink paint”, a cosmetic tolerance that obscures deeper hostility. But it worked. Surprisingly gay voters, especially younger voters, began to support her. Many see hope for power, clarity, and order, spinning too fast in a world.
From the edge to the front line
She ran for president three times: 2012, 2017 and 2022. Every time, she climbed higher. In her final campaign, she was confident, calm and smart. She tends to be a single mother, taking photos with cats and repeating calls for “national priority.” She was no longer shocked. She convinced her.
Behind her, a group of far-right leaders cheered her up: Viktor Orbán of Hungary, Matteo Salvini of Italy, Geert Wilders of the Netherlands. They saw not only an ally in her, but a leader in her. Her convergence of cultural nationalism, social media fluency and computational constraints became the blueprint.
“Marine Le Pen posted photos of her cat talking about becoming a mother, but when it comes to policy, there was no softening,” said Pierre Lefevre, a political adviser in Paris. “This makes extreme positions look more palatable, even for those who may be postponed.”
When she got lost in 2022, she did not disappear. She reorganized, stayed in parliament and prepared for 2027. The polls put her in charge. Macron couldn’t run again.
Then there is the verdict on Monday.
autumn
The court ruled that Le Pen paid party staff to party staff during his tenure in the European Parliament and paid millions of euros in public funds to EU assistants. Prosecutors described it as intentional and organized. The court agreed.
She was sentenced to two years of arrest, fined €100,000 ($108,200) and was banned from public office for five years. She said she would appeal. The House of Representatives’ arrest verdict will be suspended during the appeal, but the injunction will take effect immediately.
Her allies burst into anger. Orbán announces “Je Suis Marine” – I am the Marine. Salvini called the ruling a “Brussels Declaration of War.” In Paris, her supporters call it political persecution. Her opponent’s fist pumps in the street.
A changed political landscape
Even for shame, Le Pen was still one of the most important political figures of her time. She was named after the serious tool of arousing hatred and turning it into a serious tool for national leadership. She makes the far right election. She blurs the line between edge and power.
Her party was a state rally, becoming the largest in the French House of Commons. Her personal selection of successor Jordan Bardella, now 29, now leads it. He is very popular, but he lacks extensive political experience and name recognition.
Whether Le Pen returns after the ban, fades into silence or reshapes herself again, her mark is permanent. She forces mainstream competitors to adapt to her language. She turned fear into votes and redefines what was politically possible in a republic once considered immune to extremism.
She never became president, but she changed the game and the rules.
