Marine Le Pen announced she will run in France's 2027 presidential election after a Paris appeals court reduced her ban on holding public office to 15 months, allowing her to stand despite a conviction for misusing European Parliament funds.
The court upheld Le Pen's guilty verdict for diverting funds meant for parliamentary assistants to pay National Rally staff between 2004 and 2016. Her sentence was adjusted to three years in prison, with two suspended and one served under an electronic ankle tag. The ban was backdated to her initial conviction in March 2025, meaning she has already served the required time ahead of the two-round election next April and May. Le Pen said she will appeal to the Cour de Cassation.
With Emmanuel Macron barred from a third term, opinion polls suggest Le Pen could reach the run-offs.