Le Pen 2027 Bid
Court preserves Le Pen's path to the presidency while upholding her conviction.
Summary
A Paris appeals court upheld Marine Le Pen’s conviction for misusing European Parliament funds but reduced a lower-court penalty that had barred her from seeking office for five years, opening a path for a 2027 presidential run. The court sentenced her to three years in prison, with two years suspended and one year to be served under electronic monitoring. The case centers on National Rally aides paid with European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016. Le Pen said she will run and appeal to France’s Court of Cassation.
Day 2
Latest update · Jul 8Le Pen announced she is entering the 2027 presidential race and will appeal her embezzlement conviction to France’s highest court. She said the appeal would suspend the electronic-monitoring sentence, allowing her to campaign without the ankle tag, and declared that her campaign was beginning immediately.
The Coverage
2027 eligibilityLeans Left
The court fight over Le Pen’s conviction is central to whether she can stand in the 2027 presidential election. Even where the legal path remains open, the rulings leave her campaign entangled in serious legal and political uncertainty.
Fraught comebackLeans Left
Le Pen remains in contention for 2027 after the ruling, but the case turns her campaign into a bruising political battle. The legal saga leaves her battered while also allowing her to present herself as a survivor heading into the presidential race.
Get tomorrow's edition
Every side of today's biggest stories, free in your inbox each morning.