Le Pen announces 2027 French presidential bid despite embezzlement conviction

Marine Le Pen confirmed on Tuesday that she will lead the far-right in the 2027 French presidential election, despite a conviction for embezzlement that requires her to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet for a year. The 57-year-old politician regained her eligibility to run for president after the Paris Court of Appeal upheld her embezzlement conviction but reduced her disqualification period.

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Tonight, I am a candidate for the presidential election.

"Tonight, I am a candidate for the presidential election," Le Pen stated on TF1, announcing an appeal against the sentence. She believes this appeal will allow her to campaign without the bracelet, as its enforcement would be suspended. Last week, she had insisted she would only run if she could campaign "freely," without needing judicial permission to travel, which the bracelet would have prevented.

However, she reversed her stance after meeting with leaders of her National Rally party, including Jordan Bardella, who was considered an alternative candidate and would become prime minister if she were elected. In Hénin-Beaumont, Le Pen's stronghold in northern France, many voters wanted her to run again, even with the bracelet. "We have to stop putting obstacles in her way; after all, we prefer Marine to Jordan," said Pierre Pagniez, a 57-year-old construction worker. "What does it matter if she campaigns with a bracelet?"

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We have to stop putting obstacles in her way; after all, we prefer Marine to Jordan. What does it matter if she campaigns with a bracelet?

The court's decision effectively signals the start of the campaign for the upcoming presidential election. Le Pen, daughter of far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, is heading for her fourth presidential bid, having lost in the runoffs in 2017 and 2022. This time, she appears closer than ever to reaching the Élysée Palace. While Bardella shows strong voter intention, both he and Le Pen lead polls ahead of centrist figures and the leftist leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Mélenchon commented on social media that "Nothing has changed, whatever the candidacy." The ruling party and the left opposition criticized Le Pen's ability to run, with some calling her a "convict."

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Nothing has changed, whatever the candidacy.