Lifeline for Le Pen as court says will rule on appeal in 2026
The shock decision by the court of appeal comes after the far-right icon’s embezzlement conviction on Monday and a 5-year ban on holding public office, which appeared to prevent her running for the presidency in 2027.
FarFar-right leader Marine Le Pen has been handed a lifeline in her bid to become France’s president after a court of appeal said it would issue a decision on her case by summer next year, reports Politico.
The dramatic intervention means the National Rally politician, front-runner to replace Emmanuel Macron in 2027, lives to fight another day after being banned on Monday from running for office.
It is the latest twist in a saga that has gripped French politics. Le Pen, a populist, antimigration firebrand, was found guilty alongside 23 others of embezzling European Parliament funds and handed a mix of fines, suspended prison sentences and bans from public office.
The court ruled that the gravity of Le Pen’s crimes meant that her five-year ban on running for election would be immediately enacted.
