France's far-right leader Marine Le Pen has announced she will continue to run for the 2027 presidential election after an appeals court reduced her disqualification from running over a case of embezzlement of public funds, in a decision she said she would "appeal to the country's highest courts".
"Tonight, I am a candidate for the presidential election," Le Pen told the TV channel TF1, securing the question of her running for the presidency for the fourth time in an election that is considered her party's best chance to win the presidency, according to French media.
On Tuesday, the appeals court paved the way for Le Pen to run in the election, but required her to wear an electronic bracelet, which Le Pen had previously said she categorically rejected, and the court ruled that Le Pen was convicted of embezzlement of funds, but reduced the sentence related to her ban on holding any elected office, leaving her to decide to run for president.
Le Pen has decided to campaign for 2027 wearing a watchbracelet as part of her sentence at home.
Partial victory
Supporters of the far-right leader in France considered the sentence a partial victory in favor of Le Pen, 57, as the sentence related to her ban on holding any elected office was reduced from five years, according to a lower court decision last year, to 45 months, with a two-thirds suspension of the term, and the sentence was reduced from 4 to 3 years, with a two-year suspension of the execution.
Le Pen appealed a ruling in March 2025, which she and other members of her party, the National Rally, convicted of misusing European Parliament funds by paying party employees with funds earmarked for MEP assistants between 2004 and 2016.
The Court of First Instance sentenced her to a suspended prison sentence pending the decision of the Court of Appeal and imposed a five-year ban on her from holding any elected office, which Le Pen denied, stressing that she had committed no wrongdoing.
Le Pen, who is widely viewed as a favourite to succeed Emmanuel Macron, has previously said she would not run if she had to wear an electronic bracelet.
Le Pen lays out alternative plans
Marine Le Pen has overcome one of her most complex legal crises with a calculated judicial move by appealing to the Court of Cassation, France's highest judicial body, and under French law, this appeal automatically suspends the execution of the sentence, meaning Le Pen will campaign without an electronic bracelet and with full freedom of movement until the final verdict is issued.
Although the Court of Cassation typically takes 12 to 18 months to decide cases, this timeframe could extend beyond the spring 2027 elections, giving Le Pen the chance to run for president unfettered.
Although Le Pen is legally able to run, her party is drawing up alternative scenarios in case of any judicial surprise, with Jordan Bardella, the party's president, as a ready alternative and more present in the polls.
What is the penalty for an electronic bracelet?
An electronic bracelet is a device that is fastened around the ankle of a convicted person, and acts as a continuous monitoring tool that sends signals to judicial authorities to pinpoint its location around the clock, and once the bracelet is placed, the sentence is transformed into a monitored home prison, so that the home becomes the "penal institution" in which the convict is obliged to remain during most hours of the day.
The law allows for very specific times, often for work, treatment or essential tasks, but these moves are made only with the approval of the judge and are governed by strict hours that must be adhered to without delay.
This system imposes a highly disciplined daily life on a person, as exceeding the time limit for returning home or leaving without permission is considered a violation of the penalty and may lead to the conversion of home confinement into a de facto prison.
Despite the rigor of this system, French law allows for the possibility of a reduced sentence if a person complies with all restrictions and shows good conduct, and the period may be reduced by up to six months. But the essence of the punishment remains the same: a life restricted, constant electronic surveillance, and movement that can only be carried out with a judicial warrant.
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