Paris court to rule on Marine Le Pen's eligibility for 2027 presidential race

Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, will learn on Tuesday whether an appeal court will uphold a conviction that bars her from holding public office for five years. The decision, scheduled for 13:30 Paris time, will determine if she can run in the 2027 presidential election, where she currently leads opinion polls.

Le Pen was convicted in March 2025 of embezzling €1.4 million in European Parliament funds to pay party staff rather than parliamentary assistants, a judgment that also imposed a four-year jail term, two years suspended and two years served under an electronic monitoring tag. Prosecutors are seeking to maintain the five-year ban on public office and the electronic-tag component of the sentence.

During the appeal, Le Pen acknowledged a “mistake” that allowed some parliamentary aides to work for the party but denied organising the scheme. She told LCI that she is not afraid of the outcome, adding that a candidate must be free to travel and campaign without restrictions.

If the court confirms the ban, Le Pen would be ineligible to stand, and the party’s deputy leader Jordan Bardella, who has been positioned as a potential substitute, could become the presidential candidate. Bardella has expressed full support for Le Pen and said he would serve as prime minister if she were elected.

Possible outcomes include a full acquittal, which would clear her to run; a conviction with a ban longer than two years, which would prevent her candidacy; or a reduced ban that might allow her to stand. Le Pen could appeal a guilty verdict to the Court of Cassation, but any further legal challenge would likely delay her campaign.

The ruling is seen as a pivotal moment for French politics, potentially reshaping the dynamics of the upcoming election and the National Rally’s strategy.