Far-right leader Marine Le Pen will face an appeal trial next year in a case that could block her from running in France’s 2027 presidential election, the Paris court said on Monday.
Le Pen and 24 other people working for her Rassemblement National (RN) party were convicted in March of misusing European Parliament funds for over 12 years, causing estimated losses of about €3.2 million.
The far-right leader was handed a four-year sentence, including two years under electronic monitoring, a €100,000 fine, and banned from holding public office for five years with immediate effect. The ban includes potential snap parliamentary elections.
The appeal hearings are scheduled from 13 January to February 2026. One of Le Pen’s lawyers had pushed for an April star. The timetable means the case will overlap with France’s municipal elections.
The judges, facing accusations of political bias, promised to deliver a ruling before the summer of 2026, leaving time to determine whether Le Pen could stand again in due time for the 2027 presidential election.
Critics say the timetable of the hearings still hampers her chances. “Whatever the date, it’s not enough because you have to start early to negotiate the loans, the signatories for the so-called parrainages,” one RN member of the European Parliament said, referring to the sponsorships required for presidential candidates.
Meanwhile, a French judge, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that the legal appeals process could be completed in the autumn, should this ruling leave room for it.
“Even if there were another appeal, she would still have time, legally speaking, to stand for election. However, it is also very possible that the judges could confirm his ineligibility well before then.”
A three-time contender to France’s top race, Le Pen reached the run-off against Emmanuel Macron in 2017 and 2022 and still surges in polls as one of France’s favourite candidates.
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