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Appeals court upholds Marine Le Pen conviction, shortens office ban

politicsJul 7, 202632651

A Paris appeals court on Tuesday upheld Marine Le Pen’s conviction for embezzlement but reduced her period of ineligibility to 15 months, a move the court said weighed “voters’ freedom of choice” when reassessing the penalty. The court also ordered Le Pen to wear an electronic bracelet for one year, though that house-arrest measure must be set by a different judge and will not take effect while she pursues a final appeal to the Court of Cassation. Le Pen announced she will take the case to the Court of Cassation, argued the appeal suspends enforcement of the bracelet order, and declared she is a candidate in the 2027 presidential election. Le Pen has previously said campaigning would be impossible under electronic monitoring, and her party had prepared Jordan Bardella as an alternative if she were ruled ineligible. Polls cited in coverage show either Le Pen or Bardella would comfortably win the first round due on 18 April, while forecasts for the runoff are divided and name the former prime minister Édouard Philippe as a possible opponent. The cassation appeal now determines whether the bracelet will be imposed during the campaign and whether Le Pen’s candidacy remains fully unencumbered.

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