French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has declared her candidacy for the 2027 presidential election and will appeal her conviction for embezzling European Parliament funds to France's highest court. The 57-year-old National Rally (RN) leader made the announcement on TF1 television on Tuesday evening, stating, 'Tonight, I am a candidate in the presidential election.'
Earlier on Tuesday, a French court of appeal upheld Le Pen's conviction for orchestrating a fake-jobs scheme that embezzled over €2.8 million from the European Parliament between 2004 and 2016. The court sentenced her to three years in prison, with two years suspended, and ordered her to wear an electronic ankle tag for one year, restricting her movements. However, the court shortened her ban from running for office, allowing her to stand in the spring election.
Le Pen argued that the ankle tag would hinder her campaign, as she would need approval for outings and could not attend night rallies. By appealing to the Court of Cassation, the sentence is suspended pending a ruling, meaning she will not be fitted with a tag for now. 'I consider us innocent of the things we are accused of,' she said, adding that the appeal allows voters 'the last word.'
The Court of Cassation typically takes 12 to 18 months to rule, which could extend beyond the April-May 2027 election. Critics condemned her decision, with Manon Aubry of La France Insoumise calling the RN 'a party of thieves and liars,' and Socialist leader Olivier Faure stating that candidates should be 'exemplary.'
Le Pen, who lost to Emmanuel Macron in the 2017 and 2022 elections, was considered a top contender for 2027 until her initial conviction in March 2024. The appeal court reduced her electoral ban to 15 months, already served, with a suspended 30-month term, and imposed a €100,000 fine. Prosecutors described the embezzlement scheme as 'industrial,' using European Parliament funds to pay party staff in France with no connection to parliamentary work.
