Marine Le Pen Cleared to Run in 2027 French Presidential Election Amid Embezzlement Case

Marine Le Pen has received the go-ahead to participate in the 2027 French presidential election. An appeals court upheld her 2025 embezzlement conviction, but she can run with an electronic tag. Previously, she stated that campaigning under such conditions was not feasible.

Originally, Le Pen faced a five-year ban from contesting presidential elections. The appeals court reduced this to 45 months, with 30 suspended, leaving 15 to serve. Having already completed the ineligibility period, she can now contest in the April 2027 elections.

Le Pen did not immediately announce her decision regarding the election. She was expected to speak at 8 p.m. local time on Tuesday.

Marine Le Pen of the National Rally party leaves the Paris Court of Appeal on July 7, 2026, after the verdict on the embezzlement of European public funds.

In 2025, Le Pen’s National Rally party, formerly the National Front, was convicted of embezzling EU funds for staff salaries from 2004 to 2016. Last year, she was fined over $100,000 and sentenced to four years in prison, with two years suspended and two years under house arrest with an electronic tag.

During her appeal, the house arrest and fine were temporarily paused, but the court reinstated them on Tuesday. The judge reduced her sentence to three years’ imprisonment, with two suspended and one year under house arrest with a tag.

Le Pen had expressed that running for office while under such restrictions wouldn’t allow her the freedom needed to campaign effectively. She may seek a reduction of her electronic tag sentence to six months, allowing for freer campaigning in 2027.

Following the verdict, her lawyer Rodolphe Bosselut expressed partial satisfaction, viewing it as a positive starting point. Le Pen and eight party members faced up to 10 years if convicted in full for the embezzlement scheme. Other party aides were also convicted.

It was thought that if barred from running, she’d pass her ambitions to Jordan Bardella, the 30-year-old party president. However, both Le Pen and Bardella poll similarly, ranging from 31-36% in surveys, indicating strong potential party support in the upcoming election year.

The Dynamics of the French Election

French presidential elections require two voting rounds. The initial round, set for April 18, 2027, involves voters selecting from various parties. If no candidate secures majority support, a run-off occurs on May 2 with the top two candidates from the first round.

The Republican Front, an informal alliance, has traditionally prevented far-right success in these elections. Despite this, support for Le Pen’s party has grown significantly. Le Pen advanced to the election’s final round in 2017 and 2022, a notable achievement compared to her father Jean-Marie Le Pen’s early unsuccessful presidential runs.

Jean-Marie Le Pen historically only obtained 0.74% in his first attempt in 1974 but later reached the run-off in 2002, receiving significant voter backing.

Le Pen advanced to run-offs in 2017 and 2022, with the latter narrowing Macron’s victory margin to 18%. This sets a stage for potential 2027 victories as Macron exits, barred by term limits. Pollster Adelaide Zulfikarpasic from Ipsos BVA addressed this growing party momentum.