French opposition leader Marine Le Pen says she will not pursue the presidency if an appeals court upholds a sentence requiring her to wear an electronic tag in a case tied to alleged misuse of European Parliament funds.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
French National Rally leader Marine Le Pen said she will not stand in the 2027 presidential election if a Paris appeals court orders her to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet as part of a sentence in a case involving alleged misuse of European Union parliamentary funds.
Le Pen, 57, is contesting a March 2025 ruling that found her and several members of her party guilty of improperly using EU Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016. Prosecutors alleged that aides financed through European parliamentary allocations were working primarily for the party rather than performing official parliamentary duties.
The appeals court is scheduled to deliver its decision on July 7. The ruling could determine whether Le Pen remains eligible to run in the next presidential election or faces sanctions that would significantly restrict her campaign.
“I know very well that the decision regarding this candidacy isn’t mine to make,” Le Pen said Wednesday during an interview with BFM TV, following the conclusion of a five-week appeal trial earlier this month.
Under the original judgment, Le Pen could face a ban from holding elected office, a requirement to wear an electronic tag, or both, along with other potential penalties. She has denied that she orchestrated or participated in any fraudulent scheme to divert European 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,” she said.
Le Pen added that a requirement to wear an electronic monitoring device would effectively prevent her from mounting a viable presidential campaign. “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,” she said.
If the court clears her or declines to impose conditions that would limit her political activity, Le Pen is widely considered a leading candidate to succeed President Emmanuel Macron, who is ineligible to seek another term in 2027 due to term limits.
Le Pen has indicated that if she is barred from running, National Rally president Jordan Bardella, 30, would likely become the party’s presidential nominee.
The appeals court’s decision is expected to have significant political implications, potentially reshaping the landscape of France’s upcoming presidential race.
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