Marine Le Pen declares 2027 presidential bid after appeal court reduces ineligibility penalty
A Paris appeals court has reduced Marine Le Pen's ineligibility penalty for misusing EU funds, clearing her path to run in the 2027 French presidential election. The far-right leader immediately declared her candidacy, despite a one-year house arrest sentence with an electronic bracelet.
The appeal verdict
The Paris Court of Appeal confirmed Marine Le Pen's guilt for misusing European Parliament funds but softened the penalties imposed in March 2025. The original five-year ban on holding public office was reduced to 45 months, with 30 months suspended, leaving 15 months effective. Since that period has already elapsed since the first-instance ruling, Le Pen is now legally eligible to stand in the 2027 presidential election. The court also sentenced her to three years in prison, two suspended, and one year to be served under house arrest with an electronic bracelet, plus a €100,000 fine.
Legal reasoning and timeline
The judges stated they adjusted the ineligibility penalty to protect "freedom of candidacy" and "the free choice of voters," calling them "conditions of democratic expression." The case dates back to 2015, when the European Parliament alerted anti-fraud office OLAF to irregularities in the hiring of parliamentary assistants by Le Pen's National Rally (formerly National Front). Investigators found that EU-funded staff were working for the party rather than for MEPs, a scheme that ran for over a decade and involved nearly €3 million.
- European Parliament alerts OLAF to possible irregularities in RN assistants.
- OLAF report leads Parliament to demand repayment of funds; Le Pen later returns €340,000.
- First indictments of parliamentary assistants and party officials for misuse of funds.
- First-instance court convicts Le Pen, imposes 5-year ineligibility and 4-year prison sentence.
- Appeal court reduces ineligibility to 15 months effective, confirms guilt, sentences to 3 years prison with bracelet.
- First round of the French presidential election.
- Second round of the presidential election, if needed.
Le Pen's reversal and campaign launch
Hours after the verdict, Le Pen appeared on TF1 to declare: "Tonight, I am a candidate." She had previously said she would not run if forced to wear an electronic bracelet, arguing a presidential campaign requires total freedom of movement. Now she says she will appeal to the Court of Cassation, which suspends the sentence, allowing her to campaign without the bracelet. "I want to exhaust all legal avenues to defend my innocence," she said, adding, "Two courts can be wrong."
I am a candidate for the presidential elections and I will not change my mind.
The Bardella partnership
Le Pen made clear she will not run alone. She referred to Jordan Bardella, the party's president, as her partner in the campaign. "Jordan Bardella and I will launch this presidential campaign very soon. Together, we will convince the French people that what we are experiencing today is not inevitable," she said. Bardella has long been seen as her heir apparent, but for now the pair present a united front.
What comes next
Le Pen's appeal to the supreme court could take months, with a final ruling possible by early 2027. If the appeal fails, she would have to serve the bracelet sentence, potentially during the campaign. The first round of the presidential election is set for 18 April 2027, with a runoff on 2 May. Le Pen insists there is "no scenario" in which she cannot run, betting that voters will have the final say.
