The presidential campaign was to begin this Tuesday, July 7. It will not be so. By choosing to appeal to the Court of Cassation, after her conviction by the Court of Appeal for embezzlement of European funds for the benefit of her party, Marine Le Pen made the decision to run for the presidential election. However, this announcement does not resolve anything. On the contrary, it prolongs the suspense for a few months: we will now have to wait for the decision of the Court of Cassation, which promised to deliver it before the election.
By acting in this way, Marine Le Pen is within her strictest rights. But by announcing her candidacy despite her conviction, she leaves the possibility of having to withdraw urgently in the event of a final conviction, a few weeks before the vote.
First, the leader of the National Rally takes the risk of considerably weakening her camp, which is her sole responsibility. But more serious, it puts the entire democratic process at risk of disorder. In the coming weeks, she will lead a campaign that she is not sure, contrary to what she claims, she will be able to complete; while her opponents will have to argue against a candidate who can withdraw at any time.
Finally, Marine Le Pen places judges in a formidable position, further increasing the pressure placed on them. By maintaining her position, the RN candidate is forcing the justice system to engage in political matters. And puts our democracy at risk of seeing voters and judges oppose each other, fueling, at the heart of the campaign, a harmful populism.
