French far-right leader signals exit from 2027 race if election ban stands

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has stated that she will not pursue a bid for the French presidency in 2027 if an appeals court upholds her current ban from running for office.

Le Pen, who has previously sought the presidency three times, is scheduled to appear in court on January 13 to appeal her guilty verdict on charges of embezzling funds from the European Parliament, charges she has consistently denied, POLITICO reports.

Following her conviction, Le Pen was handed an immediate five-year ban on running for public office, a decision that could be overturned by the appeals court. If the court maintains the ban, Le Pen indicated she would accept the outcome and pass the mantle to her 30-year-old protégé, Jordan Bardella.

“Since the court of appeals is likely to hand down its ruling in September, I’m not going to let this drag on,” Le Pen said.

Although the precise date of the appeals ruling will only be confirmed at the conclusion of the trial, Le Pen suggested that even a subsequent favorable decision from the highest court would come too late for a viable presidential campaign. “If I am barred from running but the [highest court] rules in my favor three or four months later, it will be too late to run a proper presidential campaign,” she said.

Despite the legal uncertainty, a recent poll by Elabe indicated that both Le Pen and Bardella enjoy a double-digit lead over their closest rivals in first-round voting intentions, signaling continued strong support for the far-right in France.

By Vafa Guliyeva