Marine Le Pen says she is 'not afraid' six days before appeal verdict that could block her 2027 presidential run
Marine Le Pen told LCI she is 'not afraid' of the Paris Court of Appeal's July 7 decision, which will determine whether a five-year ineligibility sentence bars her from a fourth presidential bid.
The verdict looms
Marine Le Pen will learn on 7 July whether the Paris Court of Appeal upholds the first‑instance sentence that banned her from elected office for five years, with immediate effect. The penalty, imposed for misappropriation of European Parliament funds meant for assistants, also included a three‑year prison term (one year to be served under electronic surveillance) and a €100,000 fine. Any ineligibility exceeding two years would disqualify her from the 2027 presidential election.
- Prosecution requests a 5‑year ineligibility sentence, 4 years in prison (1 firm) and a €100,000 fine.
- Marine Le Pen gives an LCI interview stating she is 'not afraid' and will fight on regardless.
- Paris Court of Appeal delivers its verdict on the ineligibility penalty.
'I am not afraid'
Six days before the ruling, Le Pen gave an interview to the rolling‑news channel LCI in which she projected calm.
Asked directly about the coming decision, she replied that fear is alien to her.Whatever happens, I will not be dead. Whatever happens, I will continue to fight for my ideas.
No, I am not afraid. Fear is a feeling that is not familiar to me.
The electronic‑bracelet hurdle
Even if judges allow her to stand, Le Pen insisted that campaigning with an electronic tag would be unworkable. She told LCI that a presidential candidate must be totally free to move and cannot depend on a magistrate's authorisation for every rally or market walk.
It will not be possible.... If I can be a candidate I will be a candidate, provided I can actually campaign.
Plan B: Jordan Bardella
Should Le Pen be ruled ineligible, the Rassemblement National president Jordan Bardella would carry the party's colours in the 2027 race. Le Pen has already promised to campaign alongside him whatever the outcome. Meanwhile, Bardella himself is under scrutiny: he confirmed on X that searches had been carried out at RN service providers and that a judicial investigation concerning him will soon open. He cast the moves as timed to harm him just before the Le Pen verdict.
