In brief
On Tuesday, judges will rule on a former embezzlement conviction that could end Marine Le Pen’s campaign for the 2027 French presidency. Le Pen, who tops current polls, faces a five‑year ban that continues to run. An acquittal would keep her in the race; guilt could bar her and elevate her lieutenant, Jordan Bardella, to lead the National Rally. The outcome will set the tone for France’s next presidential contest and could reshape the party’s strategy. Le Pen has warned that a prison‑term tag would make campaigning impossible and that she will persist as a political activist if barred.
On Tuesday, judges will decide whether Marine Le Pen can run for president in the 2027 French election, a verdict that could end her campaign after a 2025 conviction for using €1.4 million of European Parliament funds to pay party workers instead of assistants.
Le Pen has finished second to President Emmanuel Macron twice and now leads the polls. If the court confirms the five‑year ban that began in March 2025, the clock has already ticked forward and she would be ineligible. A lighter sentence or an acquittal would keep her in the fray.
The appeal offers several possible outcomes: an outright acquittal, full guilt with a longer ban, a reduced ban of two years or less, or a guilty ruling with a four‑year jail term but a one‑year electronic tag and the rest suspended. Each outcome shapes the National Rally’s chances and informs whether Bardella, Le Pen’s rising lieutenant, will take the helm.
Le Pen remains calm, saying she will continue to fight “for my ideas” even if barred. She has warned that a court ruling could impede France’s democratic functioning, but she stresses she will stay an activist should the verdict forbid her to run.
Bardella, who has served as party chair since 2022, may become the stand‑in candidate. He has declared his full support for Le Pen and pledged to help her win. If Le Pen is prevented from standing, Bardella could rise to lead the National Rally and potentially become prime minister under her presidency.
