Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, has stated that she will not run for president in the upcoming election if a Paris appeals court orders her to wear an electronic bracelet due to accusations of misusing European Union funds. Le Pen has expressed her hope that the appeals court will exonerate her in a pivotal ruling scheduled for 7 July, which could significantly influence her aspirations for the presidency.
Le Pen is challenging a March 2025 verdict that found her and several members of her party guilty of improperly using EU Parliament funds to hire aides between 2004 and 2016. These aides allegedly focused on party activities rather than fulfilling their parliamentary obligations.
Should she be convicted, potential penalties include a prohibition from holding elected office, the requirement to wear an electronic tag, or both, among other sanctions. Le Pen firmly denies the allegations that she was the central figure in a fraudulent operation aimed at diverting EU funds.
“It’s in the hands of three judges who will decide whether or not the millions of French people who want to vote for me will be able to do so,” Le Pen said, following the five-week appeal trial that ended earlier this month.
“You can imagine that if the (appeals) court follows the lower court’s ruling that sentenced me to wear an electronic tag, I won’t be able to campaign,” Le Pen said.
If permitted to run, Le Pen is considered a leading candidate to succeed centrist President Emmanuel Macron in the 2027 presidential election. Should her circumstances prevent her from running, she has indicated that her 30-year-old protégé, Jordan Bardella, would likely become the party’s candidate in her place.
This article used information from The Associated Press.
