At the end of March, the French political scene was shaken by the court ruling on the alleged "affect of parliamentary assistants". Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Unity (Rassemblement National, RN), and her organization were found guilty of embezzlement of public funds. The consequences are serious – not only political but, above all, financial, which could seriously jeopardise the future of 1 of the top opposition forces in France.
The case concerns the period between 2004 and 2016, erstwhile Euro MPs of the National Front – a organization that changed its name to National Unity in 2018 – employed assistants paid from European Parliament funds. According to the findings of the investigators and subsequent court ruling, any of these individuals did not actually work in the structures of the European Parliament, but did organization tasks in France. The Court considered this to be a deliberate and systemic action which led to the illegal usage of funds from European taxpayers.
Marine Le Pen was sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment, including 2 suspended, and fined at EUR 100,000. However, it was not the individual punishment of the RN leader that attracted the highest public attention, but the financial dimension of the sentence, which straight hits the organization itself. The National Assembly was obliged to pay EUR 3.5 million in compensation to the European Parliament. This amount consists of legal costs, compensation for moral and economical harm and reimbursement of illegally collected funds. In addition, the organization must pay a fine to the French State Treasury of another million euros.
The full amount of EUR 4.5 million represents a immense burden for any political party, and in the case of the National Unity it could be a fatal blow. Although the organization receives public backing proportional to election results, in practice it has been facing serious financial problems for years. French banks almost completely refuse RN lending, forcing the organization to look for alternate sources of backing – including a controversial debt drawn in a Czech-Russian bank. This debt was yet repaid in 2023, but it cost RN a lot – not only in euro but besides in reputation.
Marine Le Pen is not bitter. She claims that the intent of the conviction is her individual elimination from political life and financial suppression of the party.
"It is not only an effort to exclude a presidential candidate – if you can bury the organization by the way, why not?" she said ironically just after the verdict was announced.
Indeed, the possible of the future of National Unification without Le Pen as the face of a group is uncertain, although a fresh character appears on the horizon.
Jordan Bardella, 29-year-old RN chairman, grows up to be a natural successor to Le Pen. He had previously been named the leader of the next generation of the right in France, and after the court ruling his name appears increasingly in the context of the 2027 presidential election. Young, media and rhetorically efficient, Bardella has been taking on more and more of her leadership duties for respective years. He represented the organization in debates before the 2019 and 2024 European elections. His appointment as president at the age of 26 was a symbolic handover to the fresh generation.
However, Bardella is not only a young age and good presence. Born in Saint-Denis in a household of Italian roots, raised by a single mother, he frequently emphasizes his middle-class background and uses it as a counterpoint for political elites from central Paris. Its message is little extremist than Le Pen's rhetoric years ago, but remains faithful to the ideas of "French primaries" and Euroscepticism. It builds the image of a “normal Frenchman” who is not ashamed to talk about migration, safety and national sovereignty. For many RN voters it is an asset – youth combined with ideological consequences.
In the current situation, however, Bardella has a more hard task to face than just sustaining support: he must save the organization from bankruptcy. The judgment, although it does not formally prevent the continued functioning of the RN, importantly limits its operational capacity. The allocation of a fewer million euro to penalties means cutting costs, suspending local campaigns and possible dismissals. Without additional backing sources specified as donations from private sponsors or a fresh form of credit, RN may not be able to carry out a full-sized presidential run – even with specified a dynamic candidate as Bardell.
Nor should we forget the broader political context. Convicting Marine Le Pen can consolidate her hard-core electorate, who sees her as a victim of the system. But for average voters for whom corruption and ethics in politics matter, this could be a informing signal. The right wing in France is undergoing profound changes today, and the centre-right camp and the presidential majority of Emmanuel Macrona are besides preparing their candidates for 2027. If the RN fails to regain financial and political credibility, it can give the field back to fresh forces – specified as the Republican Union of Érica Ciotti or another conservative and national initiatives.
The National Unity stands at a crossroads today. Convicted of fraud, with a leader incapable to run and a future candidate who faces immense challenges, the organization will gotta prove that it can last not only media storms, but besides real financial problems. Otherwise, a conviction a fewer weeks ago may have been the beginning of a political task that for more than a decade has shaped public debate in France.
