Le Pen to run for president, French court shortens ban
Far-right leader Marine Le Pen in France announced that she will run for president in 2027 after the appeal court shortened her ban on holding public offices.
Le Pen’s presidential hopes have been in limbo since March 2025, when she received a five-year election ban for using money from the European Parliament to pay the salaries of staff of France’s anti-immigrant National Rally (RN) party.
On Tuesday, the Paris appeals court upheld Le Pen’s conviction for misusing European Parliament funds but reduced her candidacy ban, clearing the way for the 57-year-old writer to run in next year’s elections.
The RN is leading in opinion polls for next April’s elections. And Le Pen, who has failed three times in 15 years to win the far-right presidency, is gambling that voters can ignore her guilty verdict.
“I am a candidate in the presidential election tonight,” he said in a prime time interview broadcast on TF1 TV hours after the decision.
Le Pen said in recent months that she would not run for president if the court placed her under electronic surveillance because it would interfere with her campaigns and damage her credibility.
His party had already begun preparations for the possibility of his 30-year-old protégé Jordan Bardella becoming the candidate instead.
He told TF1 on Tuesday that he would appeal Tuesday’s decision to France’s highest court, the Cour de Cassation, and that he would not need to wear an electronic tag while campaigning until that court makes its own decision, but the appeals court ruled that he would wear an electronic tag for a year.
Tuesday’s decision stripped Le Pen of the right to serve 45 months in public office instead of 60 months and suspended her from office for 30 months. Since the ban has been in place since last year’s decision, the required 15-month ban has already been implemented.
Although the court confirmed Le Pen’s guilt, it said it also took into account “the voter’s freedom to choose, which is a prerequisite for the expression of the democratic right to vote.”
His prison sentence was also reduced to two suspended years and one year instead of two due to the electronic tag.
Le Pen and Bardella are currently leading the election polls. The RN has become the largest single party in the National Assembly, although the French parliament is divided into three main blocs: far right, far left and centre.
Greens leader Marine Tondelier said: “In a normal world where the RN had even the slightest shred of morality, she (Le Pen) would have given up… because you cannot properly stand for election after being found guilty of embezzlement of public funds.” he said.
Le Pen’s conviction stems from accusations that the RN misappropriated funds intended for assistants at the European Parliament. In 2025, judges found that he played a central role in the program and appealed that finding. Tuesday’s verdict confirmed he was guilty of embezzling public money.
