Any hopes Marine Le Pen might have for the appeal against her ban from running for office cannot have been inspired by Emmanuel Macron, who is usually keen to demonstrate his love of democracy, yet on this occasion has been noticeably short of words.
On Wednesday, the president broke his public silence on what has widely been viewed as a partisan decision to remove the National Rally (RN) leader from the political stage, opting simply to defend the “independent” judiciary without commenting on the rights or wrongs of the ban itself.
An official present at a meeting with top government officials said Macron also stressed that “judges must be protected,” after it was revealed that the figure who barred Le Pen from running in France’s 2027 presidential election is now under police protection.
Already, RN President Jordan Bardella has come under fire for organising a rally in defence of Le Pen. He told reporters at the European Parliament that “it’s not a power play.”
On the contrary, it is a very clear and very deep defence of the rule of law and of French democracy.
Macron has so far been unable to issue a defence of democracy of his own since the ruling on Monday, beyond bland statements including “the law is the same for everyone” and “all defendants have the right to legal recourse.” This despite his own prime minister, Francois Bayrou, declaring that he was “troubled” by the court’s decision.
The Paris Court of Appeal will deliver its ruling on Le Pen’s appeal next year.
