The Paris Court of Appeal ratifies the conviction of Marine Le Pen for embezzlement of European funds, but the disqualification has already been served. The far-right leader announces her candidacy for the 2027 presidential elections and will appeal the house arrest with an electronic bracelet.
Marine Le Pen announced on Monday her candidacy for the French presidential elections in April 2027, just hours after the Paris Court of Appeal ratified her conviction for embezzlement of European funds. The leader of the National Rally (RN) can run because the judges consider that her political disqualification sentence —45 months— has already been fully served since the first conviction in 2025.
The final ruling reduces the initial punishment to three years in prison —two of which are suspended— and maintains the disqualification already counted. However, Le Pen must serve the remaining year of prison under house arrest and wearing an electronic tracking bracelet. The far-right leader has stated that she will appeal the ruling to the Court of Cassation in an attempt to free herself from the bracelet.
A candidacy under electronic surveillance
In a television appearance on TF1's prime-time news, Le Pen confirmed that she is running for president despite the judicial restrictions. "I will not give up," she declared, challenging those who thought her political career was over. The RN leader has asserted that the conviction is "political" and that she will appeal to the last instance.
The judicial ruling has caused a political earthquake in France. With Emmanuel Macron out of the race due to term limits and polls favouring the far right, Le Pen is the frontrunner. The upcoming campaign will be unprecedented: a candidate with an electronic bracelet aspiring to govern the Élysée.
Reactions and political consequences
The court's decision has been met with division. While her supporters hail her as a victim of the "system," the opposition accuses her of wanting to govern from a semi-liberty regime. "France cannot afford a president with a criminal record," stated a spokesperson for The Republicans.
For investors and political analysts, the scenario opens a window of uncertainty: if Le Pen were to win the elections, France would have a head of state under judicial control, which could generate institutional tensions and affect the political and economic stability of the country. Markets have already shown caution at the prospect of a far-right government.
The judicial process, however, is not over. The appeal to the Court of Cassation could delay the enforcement of the electronic bracelet, but it would not prevent her candidacy. French law allows anyone with civil rights to run, and Le Pen retains them as she has served her disqualification.
The campaign officially kicks off in the coming months, but it is already shaping up to be the most tense of the Fifth Republic. Le Pen will have to balance electoral events with the electronic monitoring of her movements. An unprecedented logistical and symbolic challenge.
The judicial calendar is key: the Court of Cassation must rule before April 2027. If it confirms the bracelet, Le Pen will campaign with a tracking device on her ankle. If it annuls it, she will be free of burdens. Meanwhile, France is witnessing a political spectacle that mixes justice, ambition, and a struggle for power.
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