The leader of the French far-right National Rally party Marine Le Pen has been banned from running in the 2027 presidential election. She could be replaced by another candidate — the younger and more popular party leader Jordan Bardella.
Bloomberg writes about this.
Le Pen was found guilty of embezzlement of public funds the day before. Her lawyer criticized the court for saying that the ban on running takes effect immediately and cannot be postponed while the verdict is appealed. A decision by the appeals court before the 2027 elections, although not ruled out, is unlikely due to the complexity of the case.
Le Pen, who was one of the leading contenders for the French presidency in recent polls, said prosecutors wanted her "political death" by seeking a ban on her from running in the election.
The courtʼs decision could trigger a leadership crisis among the French far-right, as Marine Le Pen has spent years trying to make her political force more acceptable to the general public. Her possible successor is considered to be Jordan Bardella, 29, the current leader of the National Rally party, who is supported by polls as a potential candidate in the 2027 presidential election.
Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella.
Le Pen herself calls the case a political persecution. Her supporters may also see the verdict as an attempt by the current French government to silence those they donʼt like, especially now that President Emmanuel Macronʼs approval ratings are already low.
What preceded
On July 9, 2024, the Paris prosecutorʼs office opened a judicial investigation against Le Pen on suspicion of illegal financing of the presidential campaign during the 2022 elections. The investigation began after a report by the National Commission for Campaign Accounts and Political Financing (CNCCFP) on Le Penʼs campaign account during the 2022 presidential election. According to this report, Le Pen exceeded the statutory limit on presidential campaign expenses.
On March 31, 2025, Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison for embezzlement of public funds. Of these four years, two were suspended and another two were under house arrest with an electronic bracelet. In addition, she was fined €100 000 and banned from holding public office for five years. This means that she will not be able to run for president of France in 2027.
- Marine Le Pen is a French MP and one of the leaders of the far-right National Rally party, which advocates for strengthening Franceʼs ties with Russia and against aid to Ukraine. The party won a landslide victory in Franceʼs European Parliament elections earlier this summer, gaining 31.5% of the vote, while the party of incumbent President Emmanuel Macron received half as much — 15.2%. Because of this, the president even dissolved parliament and called early parliamentary elections.
- Although the far-right Le Pen party won the first round of parliamentary elections and even expected to form a single majority in parliament, the left-wing alliance unexpectedly won the election, while the far-right National Rally came in third place.
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