Le Pen eyes presidency despite conviction

The verdict will show just how far social acceptance of the RN has progressed, observes La Libre Belgique:

“For 15 years, Le Pen has been trying to transform an extremist party into a political formation that is deemed capable of governing the country. … She has established the RN in the provinces and made it socially acceptable to a section of the population. Despite all the scandals, contradictions, inconsistencies in policy, legal baggage and now a serious conviction, the RN continues to grow. … By clinging to her candidacy at all costs, Marine Le Pen is banking on the fact that the RN’s normalisation and popularity have now advanced so far that her electorate will forgive her for misappropriating public funds – nothing less.”