France, April 2 -- Marine Le Pen says a French court's decision banning her from the 2027 presidential race amounts to "political death". The far-right leader was convicted of embezzling EU funds - a blow not just to her, but to the National Rally party she's spent decades turning into an electable force. But is this really the end - or just the start of a new, more radical chapter for the far right?

Prosecutors "want my political death", Le Pen said last November during the nine-week trial over misuse of EU funds by her and 24 other party officials between 2006 and 2014.

On Monday, judges found allthe defendants guilty. As leader of the National Rally at the time - then called the National Front - Le Pen received the harshest penalty: ...