French far-right leader ready to run in 2027 presidential race if appeal succeeds

Marine Le Pen, the informal leader of France’s right-wing National Rally, has announced that she plans to run in the 2027 presidential election if her appeal in the case over the alleged fake employment of parliamentary assistants in the European Parliament is successful.

The earlier ruling barred her from standing for office, Caliber.Az reports, citing BFMTV.

Le Pen stressed that she intends to “defend her innocence” and take part in the presidential race.

“If I am able to be a candidate, I will be. It would be shameful if I were prevented from being one,” she said.

If the court ultimately upholds the ban and she cannot run, the party will be represented by its young leader, Jordan Bardella, while Le Pen said she does not seek the post of prime minister.

Recent polls predict a confident victory for Bardella in the 2027 presidential election, according to foreign media.

A Paris court on March 31, 2025, found Le Pen guilty of embezzling European Parliament funds through a long-running “fake jobs” scheme, and sentenced her to four years in prison (two suspended, two under electronic monitoring) plus a €100,000 fine.

The same ruling disqualified her from holding or running for public office for five years, with the ban applied immediately — effectively barring her from participating in the 2027 presidential election.

Le Pen insists she is innocent and has filed an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that the immediate ineligibility undermines democratic choice.

Unless her appeal is resolved in her favour before deadlines for the 2027 election, she remains barred — a development that reshuffles leadership prospects within her party, National Rally (RN), and alters the broader French far-right political landscape.

By Jeyhun Aghazada