Description: Leader of far – right opposition party, Marine Le Pen has been indicted by a French Court on embezzlement charges and has been barred from running for political office. The decision has effectively ruled her out of the 2027 presidential elections in France and caused staunch support from allied political figures such as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. She was sentenced to four years of imprisonment with two to be served under house arrest and two with suspension. Le Pen alongside 24 other party members were indicted to have embezzled money from EU funds to finance political campaigns which severely violated EU’s regulations. The indictment represented significant blow to the far – right voting body in France as projected 11 million people supported Le Pen to be the next French President.
Impact: Le Pen’s indictment was faced with substantial political upheaval by her supporters and other far – right leaders across Europe. The indictment testifies to the fact that Europe is currently in a defensive crawl amid allegations of Russian election interference which could potentially deteriorate democratic values and principles across plethora of countries. France could be plunged into an abrupt political crisis which could seriously damage the country’s strategic ambitions of position itself as one of the pioneers in Europe’s geopolitical independence. Even though the indictment has been reportedly substantiated with evidence, it emphasizes the evolving political crises on the continent which come at a crucial period of considerable global geopolitical discord.