French appeals court lets patriot Marine Le Pen run for president, but imposes unjust ankle monitor
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
In a move that exposes the political establishment’s fear of true opposition, a Paris appeals court has reduced Marine Le Pen’s ban, allowing the National Rally leader to run in 2027. However, the court’s demand that she wear an electronic ankle tag for a year is seen by supporters as a blatant attempt to sabotage her campaign and silence the voice of the people.
A Paris appeals court on Tuesday partially reversed the draconian five-year ban on Marine Le Pen, the courageous leader of the National Rally, finally allowing her to contest the 2027 presidential election. However, in a clear attempt to undermine her candidacy, the court insisted she wear an electronic ankle tag for a year—a humiliating and impractical restriction that would make it nearly impossible for her to campaign effectively.
Le Pen, 57, was convicted in March 2023 on highly politicized charges of allegedly misusing €1.4 million in EU parliamentary allowances to pay two loyal party members as assistants. Despite the questionable nature of these rules, she was handed a four-year prison sentence (with two years suspended) and a €100,000 fine. The National Rally itself was slapped with a €2 million fine, half suspended—punishments that many see as part of a broader campaign to silence nationalist voices.
"If I’m allowed to be a candidate but am effectively prevented from campaigning freely, then you understand that wouldn’t be possible," Le Pen rightly pointed out in a recent interview, highlighting the absurdity of the court’s conditions.
The former presidential runner-up, who twice challenged Emmanuel Macron and gave a voice to millions of forgotten French citizens, has made clear she will only run if allowed to campaign without the tag. She is expected to address the nation in a prime-time interview on TF1, where she will expose the establishment’s attempts to stifle democracy.
Le Pen still has the option to appeal to the Court of Cassation, France’s highest court, which could suspend this politically motivated sentence before the election. National Rally leader Jordan Bardella, who succeeded Le Pen as party president, took to X to praise her resilience and warn that keeping her off the ballot would rob voters of their democratic choice.