PARIS (Reuters) - A National Front (FN) mayor in eastern France was banned on Friday from carrying out his functions for one year on grounds of irregular campaign funds, underlining the hurdles still facing the party as it seeks to show it can govern.
Hayange mayor Fabien Engelmann, who denies any wrongdoing, said he would appeal the court ruling. This means the one-year ban will be suspended and he can continue as a mayor until the appeal is ruled on.
The party of Marine Le Pen had a strong showing in local elections in March, securing power in a record 11 town halls across the country. The 35-year-old Engelmann, an animals rights militant, is one of a new generation of FN leaders charged with helping the party drop its extremist image.
The court declared him ineligible for one year over spending close to 2,000 euros (1,567 pounds) in campaign funds, some 15 percent of the maximum amount he could spend for the local election, without doing it by the books through a designated agent.
Engelmann told local radio the ruling was politically motivated. "Of course I will appeal. I remain mayor of Hayanges," he said.
The FN came in first in European Parliament elections in France in May and polls show Le Pen could make it to the second round of the 2017 presidential elections. One survey in September found she would beat unpopular Socialist President Francois Hollande if he also made it into the second round.
(Reporting by Gilbert Reilhac; Writing by Ingrid Melander; editing by Mark John)