France has long prided itself as the birthplace of the modern nation-state and a staunch advocate of bureaucratic institutions. For centuries, the nation has held its democratic ideals close, with citizens cherishing the legacy of the French Revolution and the values it enshrined. However, recent developments within the French political landscape and the reactions have sparked a growing divide in the country’s faith in its democratic system. As a French court found Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN), guilty in an embezzlement case, France’s commitment to its own democratic ideals has been called into question.
As the nation grapples with political unrest and rising discontent, the very institutions that once defined its political identity appear increasingly fragile. The gap between the ideals the nation promotes and the reality it faces is widening, with increasing scepticism surrounding the efficacy of its own democratic processes. It’s a stark reminder that no nation, no matter how storied its past, is immune to the challenges of upholding the principles it once proudly championed. As France looks inward, the question remains: can the nation rebuild trust in its democracy, or is the mirror reflecting a more uncomfortable truth?
France’s crumbling hubris
France has long considered its educational and academic legacy a cornerstone of its global influence, particularly in the realm of diplomacy. Whenever French leaders address an international platform, they often begin by lauding the greatness of what France has contributed to civilization. From political philosophy to the formation of modern nation-states, the French intellectual tradition – embodied in figures like Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and the early architects of the legal system – has shaped the world’s political and legal frameworks. In books published in Paris and Lyon, authors repeatedly pay homage to these foundational thinkers, especially those who laid the groundwork for modern bureaucracies and legal systems. One of the key symbols of this legacy is the Sorbonne, the Faculty of Law at the University of Paris, founded in 1150. This institution has produced generations of influential political thinkers, jurists and statesmen. Yet, despite this illustrious past, the present reality in France tells a different story. It’s time to confront the dissonance between the grandeur of France’s history and the crumbling edifice of its political system.
The events of March 31, 2025, marked a defining moment for French politics. The realization that the political system had become fundamentally corrupted, transcending ideological lines, hit a tipping point. Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right RN, has long built her political identity on the promise of political transparency and moral rectitude. In 2002, her party decried the rampant public spending under the left-leaning Socialist Party, claiming it had driven France to the brink of bankruptcy. Le Pen went on record, declaring that France could only survive by rooting out illegal financial transactions and expelling those responsible for them, calling these corrupt dealings a “spider’s nest” plaguing the nation. In 2004, Le Pen expanded her criticism to include Alain Juppe, a prominent right-wing politician, emphasizing the need to address corruption on both sides of the political spectrum.
This anti-corruption rhetoric became the foundation upon which the RN expanded its base, gaining greater electoral traction in subsequent years. By 2017, a political scandal involving François Fillon, the Republican presidential candidate, further fuelled the fire. Fillon had been caught signing fictitious contracts, paying his wife for a non-existent job during his electoral campaign. That same year, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally made significant gains, capturing 21.3% of the vote in the first round of the presidential election – a marked increase of over five percentage points from the previous 2012 election.
As Le Pen ascended in French politics, she claimed to be the face of an alternative political force – one that claimed to be the antidote to a system riddled with corruption. Her rise mirrored the growing disillusionment of the French public, who increasingly saw the political elite as morally bankrupt, indifferent to the needs of ordinary citizens and trapped in a web of self-interest. In light of this, the question arises: has France’s longstanding reputation for moral and intellectual superiority finally reached its breaking point? The once proud academic and diplomatic legacy that so many had hailed as a beacon of progress now risks becoming a symbol of arrogance and hubris – an outdated relic in a France that can no longer ignore its internal crises. The cracks in the system are widening, and the nation must confront the uncomfortable reality that the world no longer looks to France as the unchallenged moral leader it once believed itself to be.
Double standards revealed
The Le Pen scandal undoubtedly had a significant impact on the French political environment. However, a domestic issue cannot easily be translated into international politics unless there is an underlying motive. This time, the motive was France’s claim of being the “last resort of democracy.” Last month, Ekrem Imamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul, was arrested on corruption charges. French political parties and mayors quickly presented this legal action as a “coup de force” against liberal democracy in Türkiye, framing the investigation as a “political manoeuvre.” However, this moment exposed the cracks in France’s democratic façade.
Just one week later, a similar legal procedure was initiated in France, and political leaders were quick to publicly state that “the law is the law.” This raises an immediate question: Is the law subjective, or is it bound by universal principles? For instance, Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris, declared that “we cannot interfere with the court’s decision.” What she said about the Le Pen case is, indeed, a universal truth. However, her stance becomes questionable when it comes to the Imamoğlu case.
In an interview, Hidalgo expressed concerns about Turkish democracy being in danger, suggesting a stark contrast in her approach to the two situations. Given the universally accepted principles of democracy, one has to wonder whether Hidalgo is simply unfamiliar with the concept of democracy or if she is intentionally distorting the truth and spreading disinformation. If it is the first case, we might excuse her “virtue of ignorance,” though it is an unfortunate display for Paris, the supposed capital of French sophistication. If, however, her statement is rooted in the second case – deliberate manipulation to sway international opinion in line with personal or French national interests – it is more troubling.
Whether it is ignorance or manipulation, one thing is clear: the masks that once concealed France’s democratic contradictions are now gone. For the French audience, the only appropriate response is: honi soit qui mal y pense – shame on those who think ill of it.