On a busy shopping street in the Paris constituency of the scandal-hit French presidential candidate François Fillon, the word corruption was creeping into the smalltalk, reports The Guardian.
“All French politicians are corrupt,” said a 52-year-old pharmacist, sighing. “Some scandals come to light, others stay hidden, but 100% of politicians are up to no good – everywhere, not only in France.”
Corruption allegations and investigations are plaguing the French presidential election: police raids have dominated headlines, distracting from policy debate and exacerbating a sense of disillusionment with the political class.
First Fillon, who had campaigned as a sleaze-free “Mr Clean”, was alleged to have paid his wife, Penelope, who is British, at least 680,000 euros of taxpayers’ money for a suspected fake parliamentary assistant job spanning 15 years. Then financial prosecutors extended their investigation into allegations that he also gave his children highly paid fake jobs from state funds. On Friday night, an investigating magistrate was appointed to head a full judicial inquiry.
Next, the far-right Front National’s Marine Le Pen – who polls say will certainly make it to the final round in May – was hit by new moves in a French investigation into whether her party misused more than 300,000 euros in European public funds to illegally pay her French party workers from the European parliament kitty.
On Friday Le Pen refused to attend a summons for police questioning in the case until after the presidential vote and the parliamentary elections that follow in June. Her party headquarters were raided this week by police. Two close staff – her bodyguard and personal assistant – were questioned by investigators.
The impact of these scandals on the electorate has so far been very different: where Fillon has been wounded, Le Pen is unshaken.
Both have denied all allegations against them. They have also adopted a “victimisation” defence – previously used by Nicolas Sarkozy when he was faced with several campaign-funding investigations. They say they are the target of underhand plots by their political opponents.
Fillon has seen his poll ratings dip, his image badly hurt, public appearances heckled and morale drop among his party grassroots on the campaign trail – even though he has vowed to soldier on whether or not he is charged.
Le Pen meanwhile continues to have a strong lead in the first-round vote, ahead of the independent centrist Emmanuel Macron with Fillon behind, although polls show her losing the second round. Her supporters – who polls show are more resolved and committed than any other voters – have rallied behind her.
The FN has faced three legal issues in the last year: allegations of misuse of European parliament funds; an investigation into alleged fraudulent campaign financing in France by overcharging candidates for election material; and an investigation into whether Le Pen and her father, Jean-Marie, underestimated the value of their personal property in their declaration of interests as MEPs.
The FN leader denies all the allegations. She is described as the “Teflon candidate” – the accusations slide off her without denting her vote.
“The reactions of French voters in this campaign are unpredictable, and maybe things will evolve, but for the moment, Le Pen is totally untouched by this,” said Jean Garrigues, political historian and author of Elysée Circus, a book about presidential campaigns.
“There are several reasons Le Pen is untouched,” said Garrigues. “First, the nature of the allegations: the European parliament case is about party funding, not the personal enrichment of Le Pen herself. That is an important distinction.
“Second, among Front National voters, there is a very strong reflex of self-defence and victimisation – a firm idea that there is a plot by the politicians in power and the system against them. And also, there is a certain indulgence towards Le Pen – her supporters feel they need her to stand up to the system.”
Thousands protested in Paris and cities across France last weekend, with banners reading “Jail the corrupt” and “Down with the privileged”, and there is a newfound soul-searching and anger in France about corruption among the political class.
For decades, France was seen as a nation where corruption allegations did nothing to stop a high-flying political career.