In brief
French far‑right leader Marine Le Pen has announced that she will run for president in 2027, even as she battles a conviction for misusing €2.8 million of EU funds. A Paris appeal court found her guilty but allowed her to stand for election while wearing an electronic tag. Le Pen plans to appeal the decision to France’s highest civil court, the Court of Cassation, and moments after the verdict she rejected speculation that the candidacy would lapse to party new‑comer Jordan Bardella. The case marks a high‑stakes gamble amid ongoing legal attacks from both judiciary and prosecutors.
Marine Le Pen, the long‑time head of France’s National Rally, has declared in a primetime television interview that she will contest the 2027 presidential election, even though a Paris appeal court has just found her guilty of misappropriating €2.8 million (about £2.4 million) in EU money for a fake jobs scheme. The final verdict also ordered her to wear an electronic tag for a year.
Le Pen insisted that the tag would make campaigning impossible, but she promised to pursue “all legal avenues” to defend her innocence. The court, however, ruled that she could run for office while wearing the tag, a move that has stoked intense political debate.
She will now take the case to France’s supreme civil court, the Court of Cassation, which is expected to take several months to decide. If the Court upholds the Paris judgement, Le Pen could be forced to campaign under an electronic monitoring device—a scenario that would tarnish her image and limit her ability to travel for rallies.
The decision arrives less than ten months before the first round of the French presidential election on 18 April 2027 (with a second round on 2 May). It also puts an end to the speculation that the National Rally would hand the candidacy to Jordan Bardella, its 30‑year‑old president. Bardella has been described as a “blank canvas” who could become France’s youngest president.
Prosecutors have announced their intention to appeal as well, underscoring a bitter legal clash between state and the far‑right. Le Pen maintains that she is “candidate for the 2027 elections” and vows to launch her campaign immediately to begin “the rebirth of France.” Should her appeal fail, she remains confident that the French electorate will decide the future of the National Rally.
