French far-right leader Le Pen remains eligible to run in the 2027 French presidential election.
According to a report by the American CBS network, on July 7 local time, the French Court of Appeal upheld the conviction of Le Pen for misappropriating funds from the European Parliament. However, the period of prohibition against her running for election was shortened. Nevertheless, she may be required to carry electronic monitoring bracelets and face restrictions on her campaigning. She has previously stated that she cannot accept such arrangements.
Last year, Le Pen was sentenced to a five-year ban from running for public office due to the "European Parliament funding scandal." The latest ruling by the appellate court reduced this ban to 45 months, of which 30 months are suspended, and the remaining 15 months are served as imprisonment. Since she has already exhausted the time under the new ban, she is eligible to run in the French presidential election scheduled for April 2027.
Le Pen herself has not yet announced whether she will run for election. She originally planned to give a speech at 8 p.m. local time on the 7th.
Le Pen has previously stated that she would not run for president if she had to do so under the conditions of being confined at home and wearing electronic ankle bracelets.
"If I am allowed to stand for election as a candidate, but my freedom to conduct campaigning activities is restricted, you should be able to understand that this is impossible." She said last week.
Le Pen said that presidential candidates 'must have complete freedom of action', and she cannot 'depend on a judge's approval' to determine whether she can hold rallies across France.
However, Le Pen may still apply to shorten the period of electronic surveillance to 6 months. If her application is approved, she will have the possibility of running for election freely at the beginning of next year.
Le Pen's lawyer Rudolph Bosslet said after the judgment was announced that he was 'partly satisfied' with the outcome, and called this decision a 'good start'.
