GERMANY PERSPECTIVE

In Berlin, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung approaches the July 7 deadline through the lens of the National Rally's methodical preparation rather than judicial substance. The newspaper recalls that at the end of the appeal trial, prosecutors requested a fine of 100,000 euros, five years of ineligibility, and four years in prison, including one year in custody. If the Paris appeals court follows these recommendations, Marine Le Pen could not run for a fourth time in the presidential election scheduled for April 18 and May 2, 2027. The journal describes a leader displaying demonstrative calm, quoted saying: 'No matter what happens, it won't kill me.' The FAZ emphasizes a methodological point: unlike the first instance ruling in March 2025, when Le Pen had left the courtroom without clear guidance for her supporters, the party and parliamentary group leaderships this time agreed early on a communication plan for the day of the verdict. Bardella and Le Pen agreed on an orderly sequence of events. The German newspaper presents Jordan Bardella, the party president aged 30 and described as Le Pen's political heir, as a credible alternative candidate: in several polls, he outpaces his mentor in voting intentions. The FAZ notes that Le Pen has dismissed any suspicion of a power struggle between them. The journal finally recalls the scope of the first ruling: in March 2025, Le Pen had been convicted of misappropriating European public funds to four years in prison and a 100,000 euro fine, but it was especially the immediate five-year ineligibility that struck her. The German reading remains detached, centered on the internal organization of the National Rally and the question of succession rather than on the outcome.