French Court Orders Marine Le Pen to Wear Ankle Monitor, Throws 2027 Presidential Run Into Chaos
A French appeals court has convicted far-right leader Marine Le Pen of embezzling European Parliament funds, ordering her to wear an electronic ankle tag and casting serious doubt on her 2027 presidential campaign.
The Paris court of appeal upheld Le Pen’s conviction but shortened her ban on holding elected office, potentially reopening a narrow path for her to stand in the presidential race [191037]. Under the new verdict, Le Pen would be required to wear an electronic ankle monitor [190958]. She has previously stated she would not stand for election under these conditions [190958].
The ruling follows a lower court’s March 2025 decision that found Le Pen and her National Rally party guilty of misusing European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016, paying party staff with money meant for EU assistants [189409]. That court sentenced her to prison, suspended pending appeal, and imposed a five-year ban on holding elected office [189409]. Le Pen denies any wrongdoing [189409][190330].
The appeals court has several options, including acquittal, a reduced ban, or upholding the original sentence [189409]. If the ban is shortened to two years or less, it could end before the first round of voting in April 2027 [189409]. However, Le Pen argues that a prison sentence, even with electronic monitoring, would effectively stop her campaign [189409].
If Le Pen is barred from running, her protégé Jordan Bardella, 30, could become the party’s candidate, reshaping the race to replace President Emmanuel Macron [189409][190635]. Bardella is also under investigation for suspected embezzlement [190635].
The ruling is expected to be a turning point in French politics, as Le Pen is a three-time presidential candidate and the leading figure of the National Rally party [190879][190330]. A ban would remove her from the race, leaving her party without its most powerful candidate [190879].