Marine Le Pen’s political journey may have reached a pause, yet those who believe this will halt the rightward drift in France are sorely mistaken.

Marine Le Pen wasted no time in awaiting her verdict. For a duration of an hour and a half, she attentively absorbed the allegations presented by the court against herself and her 24 co-defendants. She edged increasingly forward on her bench, shaking her head with growing fervour. As the reality of her situation dawned upon her, she leaned in and exchanged a few hushed words with her solicitor. Then Le Pen made a dramatic exit from the courtroom. Silently taken aback, visibly wounded, and profoundly affected.

Today in Paris, a significant milestone in legal history has been achieved — it’s simply undeniable. In France, it is not uncommon for politicians to find themselves facing legal proceedings. Yet, it is unprecedented for the head of the nation’s most successful party, arguably the most promising contender for the upcoming presidential election, to be excluded from participating in that election.

This Monday, the decision reached by the two judges and one magistrate of the Paris tribunal was unequivocal: Marine Le Pen is barred from participating in any elections for the next five years. And so, this barring takes effect without delay.

In the annals of the nation’s recent past, it is seldom, if at all, that a ruling has borne such profound political ramifications. In an unexpected turn of events, a multitude of issues now hang in the balance: the prospects for Le Pen, the imminent election, the principles governing the rule of law, and the very essence of democratic acceptance.

It is beyond doubt that Marine Le Pen bears responsibility. Between 2004 and 2016, her party in the European Parliament, known at the time as the Front National (FN), misappropriated public funds that were meant for parliamentary activities, redirecting them into the party’s financial reserves.

Marine Le Pen took over this system from her late father and has perpetuated it for several years, even amplifying its intensity. In total, over €4 million of public funds was misappropriated in this manner. The court perceives this as a matter transcending mere misappropriation of public funds. Le Pen and her party have misled voters, securing an unjust edge in the realm of democratic competition.

This is beyond dispute. The court’s intent in accusing Le Pen and the other convicted individuals is beyond question. The evidence amassed by the prosecutors is unequivocal. Correspondence and records indicate that the individuals involved were indeed cognisant of their transgressions against established legal frameworks.

It is a positive indication of the functioning of the French legal system that those members of parliament and staff found guilty are now facing convictions, despite the fact that the offences took place many years prior.

Nonetheless, the ruling by the judges prompts enquiries that are far from straightforward. The matters at hand pertain to the proportionality of the sentence and the sagacity of the verdict in a political context.

Any individual found guilty has the right to contest the ruling. This is a fundamental tenet of the rule of law. The lawyer representing Marine Le Pen has confirmed that he will now take this path forward.

Nonetheless, the immediate effect of the exclusion from the forthcoming elections presents a rather perplexing legal arrangement. Although French criminal law clearly outlines this option, particularly to deter recidivism, it would have been more prudent for the court to impose the sentence without immediate execution.

Jordan Bardella, the head of the Rassemblement National (RN), asserts that not only has Marine Le Pen faced conviction, but he also contends that French democracy is undergoing a form of “execution.”

This may be an overstatement, yet the confusion surrounding this verdict reaches well beyond the ranks of Le Pen’s supporters. Even the current Justice Minister, Gérald Darmanin, has previously cautioned that Le Pen cannot be vanquished in a courtroom; she must be confronted at the ballot box.

Those who stand against the Rassemblement National (RN) ought to exercise caution and refrain from premature celebrations. Although today’s verdict may signal a temporary halt to Marine Le Pen’s political ambitions, the ideologies championed by nationalists and the fervent sentiments that have propelled them in recent times, alongside the widespread discontent and frustration among the populace, are unlikely to fade away.

Conversely, the more Le Pen seems to be at the mercy of an unjust legal system, the more intense the public’s outrage may grow.