Overview

• Marine Le Pen was convicted in March for misusing EU Parliament funds, receiving a four-year prison term (two suspended) and a five-year ban on running for office.
• Her appeal will not conclude until summer 2026, leaving her eligibility for the 2027 vote uncertain.
• Le Pen told Valeurs Actuelles she may have to forgo her own campaign and explicitly tasked party head Jordan Bardella with preparing his presidential bid.
• The 29-year-old RN leader will join Le Pen on the campaign trail in preliminary events regardless of the appeal’s outcome.
• Le Pen’s earlier doubts about Bardella’s electability add uncertainty to the National Rally’s succession plan ahead of the next presidential election.