In the small French town of Montargis, Jean-Antoine, a retired decorator, was pleased that Marine Le Pen had once again shaken up French politics by launching a bid for the presidency, despite her legal troubles.
“Even the judges said she didn’t personally profit from the money—it was for her party,” he said, referring to Le Pen’s recently upheld conviction for embezzlement. “All politicians in France have always been schemers. It’s just a fact of life.”
Jean-Antoine, 76, who once painted luxury fashion stores, believed that voters for the figurehead of France’s far-right, anti-immigration National Rally (RN) wouldn’t care about this week’s appeal court decision regarding Le Pen’s misuse of European Parliament funds.
Montargis, 75 miles south of Paris, is known as the Venice of the Gâtinais region because of its scenic canals.
Jean-Antoine’s late father fled to France from Spain during its civil war in the 1930s and joined the French resistance against Hitler’s occupation. “But now immigration has to stop,” he said.
Le Pen’s conviction last year had barred her from running for office until the 2030s, but this week, appeal judges shortened that restriction. This allowed her to announce a phoenix-like return to the presidential race, which will be voted on next year.
The court’s decision came despite its ruling that she was guilty of playing a key role in siphoning off more than €2.8 million through a fake-jobs scam of unprecedented scale and duration, funneling the money to her cash-strapped party between 2004 and 2016.
Judges ordered her to wear an electronic ankle tag for one year with a curfew at her home, but she has vowed to appeal to France’s highest court. That would effectively put her conviction and sentence on hold while she campaigns ahead of the presidential vote. Snap polling this week showed her popularity is high, and she is in a strong position for the two-round vote next April and May. She previously lost to Emmanuel Macron in 2017 and 2022.
Montargis, 75 miles south of Paris, is known for its scenic canals and pralines. It is one of many towns that elected right-wing mayors in local elections earlier this year, when RN and its allies more than tripled the number of town halls under their control.
“When they won here, I went to the town hall and said, ‘I don’t know if you can do any better than the last lot, but you can’t do any worse,’” said Jean-Antoine. “And that’s what I’d say to Marine Le Pen. People want change.”
Another local, an antiques dealer in his 60s who did not want to be named, said: “People will still vote for Le Pen because there’s massive pressure for change. Immigration, benefits, the healthcare system—none of that is working properly, and people have had enough. Le Pen’s legal case feels unfair. A left-wing politician wouldn’t have been treated the way Le Pen was by the justice system.”
Montargis played a role in the gilets jaunes anti-government protests of 2018 and 2019, with its new RN mayor, Côme Dunis, now 36, as an active participant. In 2023, there was unrest in the town and damage to shops and businesses when rioting spread across France after Paris police shot and killed Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old boy of Algerian and Moroccan descent, when he failed to comply with an order to stop his car.
RN’s election gain in Montargis, where it took votes from the traditional right, was seen as a reflection of Marine Le Pen’s 15-year effort to clean up the party’s image.The party changed its name but kept its tough anti-immigration stance. It was co-founded in 1972 as the Front National by Marine Le Pen’s father, Jean-Marie Le Pen. Critics have long seen it as a threat to democracy and as a promoter of racist, antisemitic, and anti-Muslim views.
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Gisèle, 84, a recently retired girls’ gymnastics coach and competition judge from the area, said fear of crime and drug-dealing was growing. She was glad Le Pen was running, but thought the embezzlement conviction could hold her back. “I think this could slow her down,” she said.
Le Pen’s decision to run for president means that her party’s leader, Jordan Bardella, won’t take her place. The 30-year-old had been expanding the RN’s voter base by appealing to more middle-class, higher-income voters from the traditional right.
“I’m disappointed Jordan Bardella isn’t running for president,” said Christiane, a chiropodist. “Bardella is young, he’s close to the people, he had a chance. I like Marine Le Pen, but is France really going to elect a president with a conviction?”
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Christiane, a chiropodist, is disappointed that Le Pen will run instead of the RN party leader, Jordan Bardella. Photograph: Valentina Camu/Divergence/The Guardian
Céline, a pharmacist and centrist voter, said: “I don’t think it’s right to run for French president if you’ve been convicted.”
Selma, 48, a mother of three whose Tunisian grandfather was decorated for fighting for France in World War II, said she feared Le Pen’s growing presence in the campaign was dividing people.
“I’m worried about deep divisions in society,” she said. “Racism is becoming more open. The other day I was verbally attacked in a parking lot. A woman who wanted my spot humiliated me in a racist way, saying she was more French than me. We’re all human, and we don’t choose our skin color or our background.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the statement Politicians have always been schemers Le Pens popularity remains strong despite her conviction being upheld
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 What exactly was Marine Le Pen convicted for
She was found guilty of embezzling European Union funds meant for parliamentary assistants using the money instead to pay staff for her political party
2 Why does her conviction being upheld matter
It means an appeals court agreed with the original guilty verdict making the penalty more certain This includes a ban from running for public office for several years which could affect her future presidential campaigns
3 If she was convicted why is her popularity still strong
Many of her supporters believe she is being unfairly targeted by the system or the establishment They see the conviction as a political attack not a genuine crime which actually strengthens her antielite image
4 Does this mean her supporters dont care about the law
Not exactly Many feel the law is being used selectively against politicians like her while others are overlooked They prioritize her message on immigration and national identity over the legal case
5 What does the quote Politicians have always been schemers mean in this context
It reflects a common belief that all politicians cut corners and break rules Le Pens supporters use this idea to argue that she is no different from other leaders but is being punished because she is a threat to the establishment
AdvancedLevel Questions
6 How does this conviction specifically benefit Le Pens antisystem brand
It provides concrete evidence for her narrative that the system is corrupt and will do anything to stop her Every legal setback becomes a rallying cry that she is the only true outsider
7 What are the practical consequences of the ban from running for office for her 2027 presidential bid
If the ban is enforced she cannot be a candidate However she can appeal to higher courts or try to change the law The uncertainty itself can be a political tool keeping her in the news and her base energized
8 Is there a historical precedent for a convicted politician gaining popularity
Yes Populist leaders in many countries eg Silvio Berlusconi in Italy Donald Trump in
