In brief
Marine Le Pen, chair of the National Rally, has announced a 2027 presidential campaign while launching an appeal against a 2023 conviction for misusing €2.8 million in EU funds. The Paris Court of Appeal ruled she could stand for office wearing an electronic tag, a decision she intends to challenge at France’s top civil court. Le Pen’s announcement comes just weeks after the verdict, stoking speculation about the party’s leadership dynamics and foreshadowing a contentious election campaign.
By Laura Gozzi & Paul Kirby, Europe digital editor
7 July 2026, 19:29 BST
Marine Le Pen, the long‑time leader of France’s far‑right National Rally, has announced she will stand for the 2027 presidential election, even as she appeals a recent conviction for misusing €2.8 million in EU community funds.
“I can’t campaign with a tag,” the party’s chair told French TV in a combative interview, saying she would pursue “all legal avenues” to defend her innocence. A Paris court, however, ruled that although she must wear an electronic tag for a year, she is still eligible to run.
Le Pen will take the case to the Court of Cassation, France’s top civil court, and is prepared to launch her campaign immediately. The decision, announced less than ten months before the first round on 18 April 2027, ends speculation that she might hand the candidacy to her party’s 30‑year‑old president, Jordan Bardella.
The appeal could take several months, potentially forcing Le Pen to wear a tag during the campaign’s most critical period. She has insisted that she will not run if the tag would restrict her freedom, but has now affirmed her intention to run regardless.
Alongside her legal battles, she has spoken about her partnership with Bardella, saying they “both imagine this role seriously” and that they complement each other, with her as president and him as prime minister if elected.
Public prosecutors have also said they will appeal the conviction. Le Pen’s announcement of a candidacy amid ongoing legal proceedings adds a new chapter to France’s political drama as the 2027 presidential race approaches.
