France’s Le Pen vows to fight election ban, says verdict ‘violates rule of law’

A French court handed far-right leader Marine Le Pen a five-year ban on running for office and four years’ imprisonment on embezzlement charges Monday. Calling the ruling as a “dark day” for democracy, Le Pen said she would appeal and called for court proceedings to take place before the 2027 presidential campaign. Read our blog to see how the day’s events unfolded.