Far-right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has been stripped of parliamentary immunity. The move allows a Paris court to prosecute her for posting images of "Islamic State" (IS) brutality on Twitter in 2015.
"I think the results are clear - a broad majority is backing this," said the EU lawmaker chairing the plenary session.
Potential three-year jail sentence
The lifting of the populist's parliamentary immunity- which is intended to protect EU lawmakers against intimidation attempts - now permits a Paris court to prosecute Le Pen for posting three images of IS brutality on Twitter in 2015. Her tweets included a photo of James Foley, a US journalist who was decapitated by the militants.
French election campaign - battle of the outsiders?
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The offense being considered is "publishing violent images," which under certain circumstances can carry a penalty of three years in prison and a fine of 75,000 euros ($78,930.00).
Election year pressure
Head of the right-wing National Front (FN) party, Le Pen is currently the front-runner to win the first round France's presidential election.
According to the latest opinion polls, however, Le Pen would likely lose in the May 7 run-off to either conservative Francois Fillon or independent liberal candidate Emmanuel Macron by some 20 percentage points.
France is choosing a new president this year. A first round vote on April 23 isn't expected to produce a clear winner, setting up a face-off between the top two contenders on May 7. DW takes a look at the major players.
Image: AP
Emmanuel Macron
Macron quit as economy minister in August and launched his independent presidential bid in November. The 39-year-old centrist formed his own political movement, En Marche (Forward), and is seen as a reformer. Despite having never held elected office, polls have predicted his win in the final round of voting in May. He's voiced admiration for German Chancellor Angela Merkel's refugee policy.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Bozon
Marine Le Pen
The National Front leader has adopted a more moderate tone than her anti-Semitic father, party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen. But she still takes a hard line on immigration, saying children of irregular migrants should not have access to public education. She also wants France to withdraw from the eurozone and have a referendum on EU membership. It's predicted she'll advance to the second round.
Image: Reuters/P. Rossignol
Francois Fillon
A surprise winner of the right-wing Republicans primaries, the socially conservative Fillon is seen to represent the interests of France's Catholic middle class. An admirer of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, he supports a liberal economic policy. Though Penelopegate and other scandals have marred Fillon's campaign, he has professed no wrongdoing and vowed to fight on.
Image: Reuters/P. Wojazer
Benoit Hamon
In a runoff against former French PM Manuel Valls in the Socialist primary, Hamon was the more left-wing choice of the two politicians. The 49-year-old supports a universal basic income and wants to shorten the traditional work week. He has also spoken in support of increased investment in renewable energy. He faces an uphill battle as many socialist politicians have voiced support for Macron.
Image: Reuters/P. Wojazer
Jean-Luc Melenchon
The Left Party's candidate landed fourth in the 2012 presidential elections. Melenchon, a current European Parliament member, believes the bloc's economic liberalism has stifled France. He hopes to profit from the center-left's disarray, but may split votes with socialist Hamon. Supported by the French Communist party, Melenchon advocates a shorter work week and climate protection.
