Paris Court to Rule on Candidate's 2027 Ballot Eligibility

A Paris appeals court is scheduled to rule Tuesday on whether the 57-year-old far-right leader can run in the 2027 presidential election. The decision will determine if she can appear on the ballot or if the 30-year-old party president will take her place.

The leader is appealing a March 2025 conviction that found her and other party members guilty of misusing European Parliament funds. The court had ruled that aides hired between 2004 and 2016 worked for the party rather than performing parliamentary duties. If the conviction stands, possible penalties include a ban on holding elected office or an electronic monitoring requirement.

The party, originally founded in 1972, changed its name in 2018 as part of an effort to broaden its appeal. The current party president, born in 1995, joined the organization in 2012 and later became one of its spokespersons. The leader took over the party in 2011 and expelled her predecessor four years later.

The party first reached a presidential runoff in 2002.

The leader made her initial presidential bid in 2012, finishing third, and reached the runoff again in 2017. The party president was born in 1995 in a northeastern Paris suburb and grew up in public housing.

“Far-right party National Rally president Jordan Bardella and far-right leader Marine Le Pen applaud during a rally in Lievin, northern France, Saturday, July 4, 2026.”