Le Pen: I Won't Run for President If Ordered to Wear an Electronic Bracelet

PARIS (AP) — French far-right leader Marine Le Pen says she will not run for president in 2027 if a Paris appeals court orders her to wear an electronic bracelet. The court will deliver its key verdict on Tuesday. Le Pen, 57, is appealing a March 2025 ruling. That ruling found her and other members of her National Rally party guilty of misusing European Union Parliament funds. Prosecutors say the party hired aides from 2004 to 2016 who did political work instead of parliamentary tasks. If convicted again, Le Pen could face a ban from elected office or be required to wear an electronic tag. The court could also impose both penalties. “If I can be a candidate, I will be a candidate, provided that I am able to campaign,” Le Pen said in an interview Wednesday. “Because if I’m allowed to be a candidate but am effectively prevented from campaigning freely, then you understand that wouldn’t be possible.” When asked directly if an electronic bracelet would be the main problem, she replied: “Well, of course. I can’t be dependent on a judge to authorize me to go hold a campaign rally ... or to visit a market.” Le Pen has denied any wrongdoing. She says she was not part of a fraudulent system to misuse EU funds. In the original ruling, the court called Le Pen the center of “a fraudulent system” that cost the EU Parliament 2.9 million euros ($3.4 million). She received a five-year ban from holding elected office and two years of house arrest with an electronic bracelet. “If I cannot be a candidate, I will make use of every available avenue of appeal,” Le Pen said. She could take her case to the Court of Cassation, which reviews whether the law was followed. That court could take about six months to decide. If Le Pen is allowed to run, she is seen as a top contender to succeed President Emmanuel Macron. If she cannot run, her 30-year-old protege Jordan Bardella would likely be the candidate. Le Pen said she is the natural candidate after three previous presidential bids. But she praised Bardella: “We are complementary. I believe I have a certain experience, but Jordan has an absolutely incredible dynamism; he has the strength and energy of his youth.” France will hold the first round of its next presidential election on April 18, with a runoff on May 2.