Marine Le Pen Announces 2027 Presidential Run, Pledges to Contest Conviction

Marine Le Pen announced her candidacy for the 2027 French presidency and declared she will appeal the embezzlement conviction that mandates a year of electronic monitoring.

During a combative primetime interview broadcast on French television, the National Rally leader stated, “I cannot campaign while wearing a tag. I intend to exhaust all legal avenues to vindicate my innocence in this case.”

Hours earlier, a Paris appellate court convicted her of misusing €2.8 million (£2.4 million) in European Union funds through a scheme of fictitious parliamentary assistants, though it allowed her to remain a presidential contender despite the imposed monitoring device.

She intends to appeal the ruling before the Court of Cassation, France’s highest civil tribunal.

The judgment represents a calculated political maneuver and resolves months of speculation that Le Pen might delegate the candidacy to Jordan Bardella, the 30‑year‑old party president.

Public prosecutors have indicated they will also file an appeal.

When asked whether any scenario could prevent her from running, Le Pen replied, “There is none. Tonight I am telling you that I am a candidate in the 2027 election.”

She affirmed that her campaign will launch immediately to “renew France” and that her stance will not change.

While maintaining her innocence, Le Pen and several party associates have been convicted twice for a scheme they claim they did not organize, though Le Pen has previously admitted it was “a mistake.”

The Paris appellate court upheld the original finding that, between 2004 and 2016, she and others diverted funds allocated to European Parliament members to finance party personnel.

Le Pen’s decision to announce her candidacy comes less than ten months before the first round of the 2027 French presidential election, scheduled for 18 April and 2 May 2027.

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