France’s Le Pen Says She Will Run in 2027 Presidential Election After Appeals Court Upholds Conviction

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing Bloomberg and Xinhua, Marine Le Pen said on July 7 that she plans to run in France’s 2027 presidential election despite a Paris appeals court upholding her conviction for misappropriation of public funds and ordering her to serve part of her sentence under electronic monitoring. Le Pen, 57, who leads the National Rally bloc in the National Assembly, said she will soon launch her campaign with 30-year-old Jordan Bardella and will appeal to France’s highest court; she said an appeal would delay enforcement of the ruling and allow her to travel without the monitoring device. Xinhua reported the appeals court adjusted her sentence to three years in prison—two years suspended and one year to be served outside prison under electronic monitoring—and imposed a EUR 100,000 fine; it also barred her from running for public office for 45 months, with 30 months suspended. Under French law, she has 10 days to appeal, and French media analysis cited by the report said the penalties would be suspended pending a top-court decision because the appeals court did not order immediate enforcement, leaving her eligible in principle to run in 2027.