Skip to content

Appeals court upholds Marine Le Pen conviction, shortens office ban

politicsJul 7, 2026531,159

A Paris appeals court on Tuesday upheld Marine Le Pen's conviction for embezzlement but reduced her ban on holding elected office to 15 months, making it possible in principle for her to run in France's 2027 presidential election. The court also ordered Le Pen to wear an electronic bracelet for one year and to remain under house arrest with restricted movements, though a separate judge must set the exact terms. Le Pen said she will appeal to the court of cassation and announced on Tuesday evening that she is a candidate for the 2027 presidential race; she argued taking the case to the highest court suspends the bracelet order until a final ruling. Le Pen had previously said she would not campaign while wearing an electronic tag, and she repeated that the people should decide, framing her appeal as exhausting legal avenues to defend her innocence. The ruling prompted the Rassemblement National to keep open the alternative option of naming Jordan Bardella as its candidate, though Le Pen's decision defers that possibility while the cassation considers her appeal. Polling referenced in reporting suggests either Le Pen or Bardella would lead the first round on 18 April, with runoff forecasts divided and some polls favoring a centrist challenger such as Édouard Philippe.

POLITICO Europe
@politico.eu

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen announced today that she will run for president next year, despite being sentenced to one year with an ankle monitor earlier that same day.

1245d ago
3 sources