Le Pen cleared to run in 2027 under ankle monitor
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- Marine Le Pen saw her five-year electoral ban shortened to 45 months (30 suspended), with the court noting that 15 months have already been served since the 2025 ruling, theoretically clearing her to run in 2027
- The appeal court upheld Le Pen's embezzlement conviction but shortened her jail term to two years suspended plus one year under electronic tag (rather than two), with the device confining her to her home at night though removable after a few months for good behaviour
- Le Pen had previously said she would not run for the presidency while under electronic monitoring because it would interfere with campaigning and 'undermine her credibility,' and was due to address her political future on TF1 at 8 p.m. Tuesday
- National Rally leads opinion polls for the April 2027 election, leaving Le Pen with a binary: run herself under a tag or hand the candidacy to her 30-year-old protégé Jordan Bardella, whose own polls now suggest he could outperform her in the first round
- The court cited 'the voter's freedom of choice, a prerequisite for the expression of democratic suffrage' as a factor in shortening the ban, while Greens leader Marine Tondelier argued Le Pen should withdraw entirely
- The underlying conviction stems from the 2025 finding that National Rally figures misused European Parliament funds intended for parliamentary assistants to instead pay party staff in France, with judges concluding Le Pen played a central role
Why it matters: National Rally leads polls for April 2027, so Le Pen's choice — run under a tag she previously said 'undermines credibility' or defer to 30-year-old Bardella — will determine whether France's election features a convicted embezzler as a leading candidate. The court explicitly cited 'voter's freedom of choice' in shortening her ban.
