Marine Le Pen to seek presidency despite upheld graft conviction

A Paris appeals court has upheld Marine Le Pen's conviction for embezzling European Parliament funds but reduced her ban from public office, allowing her to run in the 2027 presidential election — though she must wear an electronic ankle tag for one year. Le Pen immediately announced she will appeal to France's highest court, the Court of Cassation, which suspends the sentence pending its review, thus enabling her to campaign without the monitor. "I will therefore campaign without an electronic bracelet," she said in a television interview Source: NPR.

The verdict

The appeals court confirmed Le Pen's guilt in a scheme that used EU money to pay party staff between 2004 and 2016, but it cut her five-year public office ban to 45 months — 30 suspended, leaving an effective ban of 15 months that she has already served. Her prison sentence was reduced from four years to three, with two years suspended and one year under electronic monitoring at home Source: AP News. The court also fined her €100,000 Source: The Guardian.

Political fallout

Le Pen, who leads the far-right National Rally (RN), had called the case a "witch hunt." Despite the conviction, polls show her as a top contender to succeed President Emmanuel Macron. Her protege Jordan Bardella, 30, remains a potential replacement if she cannot run, with some polls showing him polling even higher than Le Pen Source: DW News. Le Pen has emphasized that she and Bardella would form a "partnership" if she wins Source: BBC.

What's next

The Court of Cassation has indicated it will rule before the election. If Le Pen's appeal fails, she would have to serve the monitored sentence, potentially complicating her campaign. Alternatively, if the ban is reinstated, Bardella would likely become the RN candidate Source: Al Jazeera.