In the small French town of Montargis, retired decorator Jean-Antoine welcomed Marine Le Pen's presidential campaign despite her legal troubles. "Even the judges said she didn't personally profit from the money, it was for her party," he said of Le Pen's upheld conviction for embezzlement. "All politicians in France have always been schemers, it's just a fact of life." This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

Jean-Antoine, 76, who once painted luxury fashion stores, felt voters for the far-right National Rally (RN) wouldn't care about this week's appeal court decision over Le Pen's misuse of European parliament funds. His late father fled to France from Spain during its civil war in the 1930s and became part of the French resistance. "But now immigration has to stop," he said.

Le Pen's conviction last year had barred her from running for office until the 2030s, but appeal judges shortened that restriction, allowing her to declare a return to the presidential race. The court's decision came despite its ruling that she was guilty of siphoning off more than €2.8m through a fake-jobs scam between 2004 and 2016. Judges ordered her to wear an electronic ankle tag for one year, but she has vowed to appeal to France's highest court.

Snap polling shows her popularity is high and she is in a strong position for the two-round vote next April and May. Montargis, 75 miles south of Paris, is known for its scenic canals and pralines. In local elections this year, RN and its allies more than tripled the number of town halls under their control. "When they won here, I went to the town hall and said: 'I don't know if you can do any better than the last lot but you can't do any worse,'" said Jean-Antoine.

Another local, an antiques dealer in his 60s who did not want to be named, said: "People will still vote for Le Pen because there's massive pressure for change. Immigration, benefits, the healthcare system – none of that is working properly. Le Pen's legal case feels unfair – a leftwing politician wouldn't have been treated the way Le Pen was."

Gisèle, 84, a recently retired girls' gymnastics coach, said the fear of crime and drug-dealing was increasing. She was glad Le Pen was running, but felt the conviction could hinder her. "I think this could put a brake on her," she said.

Christiane, a chiropodist, said: "I'm disappointed Jordan Bardella isn't running for president. Bardella is young, he's close to the people, he had a chance. I like Marine Le Pen, but is France really going to elect a president with a conviction?"