France’s Le Pen Guilty of Embezzlement, But Court Lets Her Run for President in 2027
A French appeals court has confirmed Marine Le Pen’s conviction for misusing European Union funds but shortened her ban from public office, allowing the far-right leader to run in the 2027 presidential election.
A Paris appeals court on Tuesday upheld Marine Le Pen’s conviction for embezzling European Union funds but reduced her ban on holding public office, clearing a major legal hurdle for her to run in the 2027 presidential election [191557][191561][191566]. Le Pen, the leader of the far-right National Rally party, was found guilty of using EU money meant for parliamentary assistants to pay party staff between 2004 and 2016 [189659][190478]. The original five-year ban on holding elected office was cut in half, making a fourth presidential bid possible [191557][191561][191034].
Le Pen has denied wrongdoing and called the verdict politically motivated [189659][191564]. She plans to appeal the conviction to France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation [191560][191564]. The court’s decision does not overturn her conviction, but it removes the immediate ban that would have disqualified her from the 2027 race [191034][191566]. The first round of the presidential election is scheduled for April 18, 2027, with a runoff on May 2 [187016].
Le Pen has stated she will run for president if she is able to campaign freely [187016]. If she is ultimately barred, her protégé Jordan Bardella, 30, is expected to become the party’s candidate [189409][190478]. Le Pen currently leads opinion polls for the 2027 election [190670].