this post was submitted on 29 Mar 2025
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France's constitutional court on Friday ruled local politicians can be barred from office immediately if convicted of a crime, leaving the door open for far-right leader Marine Le Pen to potentially be barred from the 2027 presidential race in an embezzlement trial concluding on Monday.

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The ruling means far-right leader Marine Le Pen could face a five-year political ban if her party is convicted in an ongoing embezzlement trial.

My dream is to one day read a news article about a court decision that actually has final concrete repercussions, and not something that will likely end up with 2-3 more appeals later down the track.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Why should a politician convicted of stealing money ever be allowed in a position of power? Why not just ban her for life?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

Previous mayor of my city went to prison for corruption during his mandate. Dude gets second place on the last mayor election 😑

[–] [email protected] 31 points 4 days ago

@zaxvenz One of the few moments I'm proud of my country. Probably the annulment of elections last autumn here made other European countries aware that not anyone can run for a public office if they act against democracy. We also had another candidate that was barred from entry two times, but that one was more prominent than Călin-Russian-wisdom-Georgescu.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 4 days ago (3 children)

It's time Le Pen signed off.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 days ago

Bardella is not better.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 days ago

I see what you did there

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's time the NSFAP fucked off.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

National Socialist Fappers Allowing Pedophilia

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago

Nationalsozialistische Französische Arbeiterpartei

[–] [email protected] 13 points 4 days ago (1 children)

5 year politican ban... without instant removal of parliament...

instead of at least 5 years prison...

for fraud...

teh fuck

[–] [email protected] 12 points 4 days ago

It’s not "instead of", it’s "in addition to". And it’s not "at least" 5 years of prison either, it could end up being less than what the prosecution asked for.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I like this, I’m in favor of an aesthetically liberal state that is in fact not liberal because it is openly hostile to illiberal ideas. But before you agree with me, bear in mind that most illiberal ideas arise from religion, so the state needs to be hostile to religion, like France. Although not being French I do not know the extent of laicité. In my model I think that would mean that no one who openly practices any religion could hold any legislative office. And culturally I would wage soft war against Islam, sorry but it’s just not compatible. It was designed as a religion and a political and legal system, so it cannot be reformed unless a complete breakaway from the Quran happens and I don’t see that happening.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

How is your comment related to the article? This trial isn’t about the National Rally’s ideas (which are indeed illiberal, fundamentally racist and plainly disgusting). It’s about them embezzling millions of euros from the European Parliament, during more than a decade, by having many of their members be "fake" MEP assistants who got paid for a job that they didn’t actually do. WTF does this have to do with religion or illiberalism.

Although not being French I do not know the extent of laicité.

Indeed you do not. Laïcité, among other things, guarantees the right to believe in (or not believe in) and practice (or not practice) a religion. What you’re proposing is religious discrimination, not laïcité.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Good thing you're not in any kind of political office then, because that would be an authoritarian state masquerading as a democracy.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Democracy has never, not once in the history of democracy, meant that every one gets to participate. That’s the idea of it, but it’s not the reality of it. The concept of citizens is there to explicitly denominate those who can and can’t participate in it.