Marine Le Pen declared a candidate for the 2027 presidential election following appellate conviction
Paris appellate court upheld Marine Le Pen's conviction, but a cassation appeal suspends the ruling. She announces her candidacy for the Élysée.
Marine Le Pen declares candidacy for presidential election following appellate conviction
According to tf1info.fr, Marine Le Pen announced on Tuesday evening on the TF1 20H programme her candidacy for the 2027 presidential election, several hours after the Paris appellate court upheld her conviction in the matter of parliamentary assistants employed by the National Rally.
"This evening, I am a candidate for the presidential election," she declared, clarifying that the cassation appeal she intends to file "within ten days" suspends the effects of the appellate ruling. This legal mechanism allows her to campaign without an electronic tag, a condition she had publicly stated herself. "I had indicated that I would not campaign under an electronic tag. But as I have the possibility of filing a cassation appeal (...) and as the appeal suspends the effects of the ruling, I will therefore campaign without an electronic tag," she explained.
Conviction upheld, but sentences reduced
The appellate court upheld the conviction of the RN group president in the National Assembly, whilst narrowing the scope of facts established compared to the first-instance judgment. Her lawyer, Maître Rodolphe Bosselut, noted that the decision "specifies that there is no personal enrichment" and that "the sentences handed down are lesser than at first instance". He described this difference as a "slight erosion effect" from one judgment to the next.
Maître Bosselut further assured that there was "no pressure" exerted on the judiciary in this matter. He also indicated that the Court of Cassation typically has a period of 12 to 18 months to consider an appeal. The president of that court is said to have nonetheless "stated that he would do everything to deliver a decision as soon as possible, in January or February 2027," according to the lawyer.
The scenario if cassation fails
When asked about the consequences of a possible rejection of the appeal by the Court of Cassation, Maître Bosselut indicated that the ruling would then become "final" and that it would be necessary to "return before a sentence enforcement judge", who "will summon" Marine Le Pen before any "implementation or otherwise of the infamous tag". The lawyer also raised "the possibility of potentially considering notions of suspension, reduction" of sentences. "We will do everything in our power to arrange matters for the best, should this situation arise," he added.
Marine Le Pen herself replied laconically to the question of this scenario: "We shall see. The French will be the judges of that."
Le Pen maintains her innocence
On the substance of the case, Marine Le Pen refused to apologise to the French people. "I consider that we are innocent of the facts of which we are accused and that these facts cannot qualify as misappropriation of public funds," she asserted. She contended that the allegation concerned the fact that parliamentary assistants had "done national politics when they should have done European politics," adding that "the court recalled that there had been no financial benefit in this matter".
She further indicated that she wished to "exhaust all remedies to be able to defend my innocence in this case," believing that "two courts of law can make an error" and that the rule of law recognises this by allowing a cassation appeal.
A Le Pen–Bardella ticket for 2027
Marine Le Pen announced that the campaign was starting "this evening". "Jordan Bardella and I are going to very quickly start this presidential campaign," she declared, describing the partnership formed with the RN president as "complementary" and prepared — she "for the imminent role of President of the Republic", him "for the equally eminent role of Prime Minister". She described this pairing as a "winning ticket".
Attal criticises candidacy
Gabriel Attal, reporting live from the Renaissance headquarters, responded with reservation to the announcement. "I belong to a new political generation for whom exemplariness and integrity are important values. When you aspire to be President of the Republic (...) there is a moral dimension to this situation even though one has been convicted, with a criminal record, with a custodial sentence," he declared to Gilles Bouleau.
The prosecutor general reserves her decision
The prosecutor general at the Paris appellate court, Marie-Suzanne Le Quéau, indicated that she would make her decision "next week" concerning a possible remedy on her part. The question of Marine Le Pen's eligibility for the presidential election therefore remains suspended pending several legal deadlines which will extend, according to her lawyer, until the beginning of 2027 at the earliest.
Source: Google News LU FR