Marine Le Pen, the populist leader of France’s National Rally and frontrunner in the 2027 presidential race, was hit with a stunning legal blow on Monday after a Paris court ruled her ineligible to run for public office for five years. The decision, stemming from a conviction for embezzling European Union funds, is being slammed by political allies across Europe as a calculated attempt to crush the nationalist movement and remove the candidate most likely to win.

Le Pen, a three-time presidential contender and the dominant figure on France’s populist right, was found guilty of misusing €474,000 in EU parliamentary funds while serving as a Member of the European Parliament. In total, the case involved €2.9 million allegedly diverted by Le Pen and eight other National Rally MEPs for domestic political operations.

Le Pen was sentenced to four years imprisonment, though reports indicate she will likely serve it under probation with an electronic monitoring bracelet. She was also fined €100,000. But it’s the political ineligibility ruling that shocked observers the most. According to Le Figaro, the court declared the ban “immediate,” meaning it takes effect even while any appeal is underway—effectively knocking Le Pen out of the race for at least the next year and likely through the 2027 vote.

Le Pen stormed out of the courtroom before her sentence was fully read, described by French media as “visibly exasperated.” She returned to National Rally headquarters and is expected to address supporters this week.

Her political allies wasted no time sounding the alarm over what they see as judicial overreach aimed squarely at eliminating the populist threat. Eric Ciotti, former head of the Republican Party and a recent National Rally ally, said France’s democracy was being hijacked by “an unworthy judicial cabal.” He accused the court of systematically excluding viable right-wing challengers.

Italy’s Matteo Salvini echoed the outrage, calling the ruling “a declaration of war from Brussels” and a clear attempt to eliminate Le Pen from the European political stage. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, another right-wing ally, issued a statement of solidarity simply saying: “I am Marine.”

Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s protégé and likely successor, was blunt: “Today, it is not only Marine Le Pen who is being unjustly condemned: it is French democracy that is being executed.”

The timing of the court’s decision is raising eyebrows, coming just as Le Pen’s momentum was peaking. According to a recent Ifop poll, she led the pack for the 2027 race with between 34 and 37 percent support, far ahead of her nearest rival, former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe, who polled at just 21 percent.

Despite the sentence, Le Pen is expected to appeal—and technically, she could still run if the ruling is overturned before the election. But appeals in such cases typically take over a year, and unless expedited, the timeline would effectively sideline her during the most crucial part of the campaign.

Whether by coincidence or political calculation, the ruling is sure to deepen the already bitter divide between France’s populist and globalist camps. It also fuels the perception—growing across Europe—that establishment forces are increasingly willing to use courts to settle political battles they can’t win at the ballot box.

For now, France’s nationalist movement must regroup. But if history is any guide, sidelining Marine Le Pen may only strengthen the forces she helped galvanize. The next move belongs to Bardella—and to millions of disillusioned French voters who feel their choices are being decided not at the ballot box, but in the courtroom.