The veteran politician will be her party’s candidate for next year’s presidential election.
Clea Caulcutt
The aftermath of the verdict is likely to trigger what political analyst Jean-Yves Camus called a “clarification” within the party.
“Their political platforms will not be the same,” said Camus, a specialist in the far right for the Jean-Jaurès Foundation. “We have already seen divergences between Le Pen and Bardella.”
In the days before Tuesday’s court ruling, Le Pen appeared resigned to being forced out of the presidential race and ready to focus on helping Bardella win the presidency.
At her most recent political rally in the city of Liévin, one of her northern strongholds, she was filmed dancing, singing and quoting French resistance songs. “If the judicial system bans me from running in the presidential election, it’s with great energy, great conviction and great trust that I will support every day, and until victory, the candidacy of Jordan Bardella,” she said.
For many National Rally officials, as well as much of the wider political establishment, the conversation had already shifted to what a Bardella candidacy would look like, with some far-right figures going as far as to endorse the 30-year-old National Rally president.
Taking back control
As Le Pen reclaims full control of her party, she will have to address the policy differences that have fueled tensions within it in recent months.
