The West fears that Ms. Le Pen's sentence will deal a 'catastrophic blow' to France's future.

According to Reuters on April 2, Western media reacted to the verdict against Marine Le Pen - leader of the right-wing National Rally party in France. This politician was convicted of embezzlement and disqualified from the 2027 presidential election.

A French court has barred far-right leader Marine Le Pen from running for president in 2027 after she was convicted of embezzlement, a high-profile decision that could add fuel to global tensions over efforts to control the judiciary in politics, Reuters reports.

The source noted that for the leader of the National Rally party, the French court's decision was "a catastrophic blow." Ms. Le Pen said she was innocent and that the court's decision was politicized and aimed at blocking her presidential ambitions.

The head of the National Rally party is one of the “most important figures of the European far right” and is the favorite in opinion polls for the 2027 election in France. So Le Pen’s sentence could seriously change the political landscape in this country.

"The decision could have far-reaching implications for French politics, upending the race to succeed Emmanuel Macron as president and increasing pressure on his minority government, already weakened by months of crisis," Reuters said.

France 24 noted that the court's decision to ban Ms. Le Pen from running for office for five years "was like a political earthquake" for France, "reversing the course of the race."

The channel noted that Ms Le Pen's sentence was condemned in the Kremlin, Washington and also by "European far-right politicians", including Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban. France 24 quoted US President Donald Trump comparing the French court's verdict to his own legal battles.

The TV channel also quoted the press secretary of the Russian President, Dmitry Peskov, as saying that more and more European countries are following the path of violating democratic standards.

Politico commented that Ms. Le Pen is currently facing a dilemma: "Find a way to respond or help her party."

“Her choice will have a huge impact on the country's politics for years to come and beyond; and whatever path she chooses will be fraught with risks and complications,” Politico noted.

Accordingly, one of the scenarios is a situation where Ms. Le Pen could “step aside and give her student Jordan Bardella, although he is only 29 years old, the best possible chance to win support before the next presidential election.”

“But if the crown is given to such an inexperienced candidate, wouldn’t that reduce her National Rally’s chances of winning the 2027 election? And if she were to step aside, wouldn’t that be a waste of her political capital and that of the National Rally?” Politico analyzed.