this post was submitted on 31 Mar 2025
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[–] NotLemming@lemm.ee 205 points 1 day ago (4 children)

Exactly what needs to happen. Keep these monsters away from positions of power over others.

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 125 points 1 day ago (4 children)

don't be like us here in the US having a convicted felon run the show

[–] BrazenSigilos@ttrpg.network 55 points 1 day ago (5 children)

I don't have an issue with a public servant holding office and having a criminal record. People make mistakes, and people can change. However, I think the fact the current president has made public and copious comments about dismantling the democracy that exists while showing a blatant disdain for the rights of people, that I have an issue with.

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 31 points 1 day ago (1 children)

i think we need there to be like… enough time for someone to rehabilitate themselves. trump didn't, and also the nature of his convictions were political corruption.

like. i think we fundamentally agree is what i'm saying, and i oversimplified it for my short little statement. i think there's all sorts of people in prison right now who once out deserve to have their voting rights restored and be allowed to participate in society (drug charges and political imprisonments mostly), but the nature and recency of donald trump's crimes should have disqualified him for running again, but the right is too addicted to power to risk giving it up to do the right thing.

[–] BrazenSigilos@ttrpg.network 12 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I agree, the nature of the convictions should be a factor. I also agree that a sort of "cooldown" from a conviction would be reasonable, before having eligibility for holding political office restored. I've been leary of the simplified "convicts shouldn't hold office" statement though, since the original intention of that lack of disqualification criteria was, to my understanding, to prevent political imprisonment from barring opponents from holding office. That seems like the sort of thing the current administration would jump on if they could, as well.

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[–] Clinicallydepressedpoochie@lemmy.world 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

I think there are enough qualified people to be president in the all of 350 million in the states and that it's OK if we disqualify people who've been convicted of a felony.

I think democracy would survive if not thrive.

Honestly, if we are going that far I say just do away with the president role all together. Democracies do fine with out this symbolic position.

[–] VindictiveJudge@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago (1 children)

So, you know how Erdogan recently threw bogus charges at a candidate and revoked the guy's degree to make him ineligible? That's why banning people with criminal records isn't a good idea; the current government can just bar the opposition from running.

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[–] GregorGizeh@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Not an american but personally I think thats too low a bar for the leader of a country. Why shouldn't we ask of the people we give ultimate power to that they be better than the average dipshit?

[–] Renohren@lemmy.today 14 points 1 day ago

Because there are people getting into prison because they are political opponents. Navalny or The mayor of Istanbul are examples of such tactics.

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[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 96 points 1 day ago (1 children)

When convicted for embezzlement, someone should NEVER be allowed to run for government offices ever again

[–] Robbity@lemm.ee 37 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Funnily enough, when the law was introduced a few years ago, her party wanted the penalty to be lifelong ineligibility. They are probably happy it's 5 years, now.

[–] Demonic74@lemmy.zip 7 points 20 hours ago

Her party has no principles

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[–] cyrano@lemmy.dbzer0.com 55 points 1 day ago

For 5 years

[–] hikuro93@lemmy.ca 50 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

Good. Still, any real consequences for her? Like prison time? Or will she be granted the usual politician/millionaire+ special treatment and just go on with her merry life minus the extra power?

Reminds me of Portugal's former PM (Mr. Socrates), a few years ago, and 'his' 20M€. Or the convicted felon running the White House currently.

[–] skube@lemm.ee 49 points 1 day ago (2 children)

"Le Pen, who left the court before the hearing had finished, was also sentenced to four years in prison with two years suspended and and the other two to be served outside jail with an electronic bracelet."

She can appeal the prison sentence, but the office part has taken effect even if she appeals.

[–] FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

(so she’s on probation for two years in practice, better than nothing I guess.)

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[–] Ziggurat@jlai.lu 10 points 1 day ago

I believe that in French law, for sentence up to two year, you have the right to ask for an alternative to jail. And considering that she isn't homeless and has a steady job, she'll get house-arrest out of business hours. (But it's not just for politicians and billionaire, just that the average convict doesn't have a house and a steady job, so their case is kinda empty at this stage)

But loosing her right to run for election is a pretty big one.

[–] MudMan@fedia.io 4 points 1 day ago (2 children)

You'd think "not being president" is pretty life changing, but what do I know. In any case, there is a four year prison sentence in there as well. Presumably pending appeal. I have no idea how the French penal system deals with it after that if it holds.

[–] hikuro93@lemmy.ca 19 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (3 children)

"Not being president" is not a punishment. Just the absence of a reward for her corruption. If the worst she had was "not being rewarded", then what stops every other crook from attempting to seize power?

Absence of a reward is not a consequence for breaking the rules. A consequence for breaking the law is the actual punishment, and that also serves as a warning to any other people wanting to do the same.

That's what's wrong with the system we currently have, and I'm glad at least she got prison out of it. Leniency is what got us here. There's got to be actual hard consequences for mocking the system. Rules are only as good as the willingness to apply consequences for breaking them. It's that simple.

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[–] NotLemming@lemm.ee 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

She'll have time to write her autobiography then

[–] Sixtyforce@sh.itjust.works 43 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Enforcing laws on rich/powerful, novel concept in some lands.

[–] Snowpix@lemmy.ca 42 points 1 day ago

What? A right-wing politician actually being held accountable for being awful and a criminal?

Never thought I'd see the day. Good job, France!

This is honestly a fantastic development. Vive la République!

[–] Sundiata@lemmy.world 30 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Fuck its only for 5 years.

[–] childOfMagenta@lemm.ee 19 points 1 day ago

She was pushing for lifetime bans... When it wasn't her.

[–] samuelazers@lemmy.world 27 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

They are learning from America and trying a different approach... Jail extremists before extremists jail you.

[–] werefreeatlast@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago (3 children)

So presidential! She could be our new president here in the US! Imagine that! First Felon woman president!

Man! We're busting glass ceilings!

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[–] SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago

Wow so when a fascist oligarch tries to buy your country you are allowed to say NO?

[–] octopus_ink@slrpnk.net 17 points 1 day ago
[–] MudMan@fedia.io 16 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Normally you'd expect this to be pretty definitive, but fascists are real good at playing victims, so I'm not particularly convinced this will move things in the right direction. Electoral losses would have been preferable.

Of course if she did the thing, she did the thing. I'm saying all things being equal I want to see these idiots lose support without having excuses to target democratic institutions in retaliation.

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[–] JeeBaiChow@lemmy.world 15 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago) (5 children)

Good. In my country, a former PM who embezzled 1.6B is on the verge of being set free, with little in the way of jail time, while a construction worker who stole a loaf of bread got 40 years. Wtf.

Edit: I got the bread story wrong. Not the 1.6B.

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[–] carrion0409@lemm.ee 12 points 1 day ago

If only America would've done this after Jan 6th

[–] O_R_I_O_N@lemm.ee 10 points 1 day ago

I wish we could do that in the USA. Must be nice to have a functional government.

[–] MuskyMelon@lemmy.world 9 points 1 day ago

Waiting for the orange fascist to threaten France with tariffs for this.

[–] Freshparsnip@lemm.ee 8 points 1 day ago

Trump should have been banned from running for public office

[–] futatorius@lemm.ee 8 points 17 hours ago

Now do Farage.

[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 7 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

What AMerica should have done with Trump

[–] futatorius@lemm.ee 5 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Worse than that would be justified.

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[–] Grizzlyboy@lemm.ee 6 points 1 day ago

Elon and Trump will call France out for being anti democracy because of this. Changing the narrative that Europe isn’t a democracy anymore, but the extremely flawed American system is.

[–] Gammelfisch@lemmy.world 6 points 8 hours ago

The French justice system wins and the USA fails.

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