BREAKING: French Court bans Marine Le Pen from 2027 presidential race 

A Paris court just convicted far-right leader Marine Le Pen of embezzling European Union funds, banning her from holding public office for five years and effectively barring her from the 2027 presidential election.

The verdict was delivered after a months-long trial. It found Le Pen and eight co-defendants guilty of misusing EU parliamentary funds between 2004 and 2016. Prosecutors alleged that the RN diverted money intended for European Parliament assistants to pay party staff in France, costing the EU an estimated €4.5 million. Le Pen was fined €300,000 and handed a five-year prison sentence, with three years suspended and the remaining two potentially convertible to a non-custodial penalty. The court’s decision to enforce the ban immediately, under a “provisional execution” clause, means it stands even if she appeals.

Le Pen sat stone-faced in the courtroom as the verdict was read.

She has been a polarizing figure in French politics. The daughter of National Front founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, she rebranded the party as the National Rally and brought it to unprecedented electoral heights, finishing second to Emmanuel Macron in the 2017 and 2022 presidential races. Recent polls showed her leading with 34-37% support ahead of 2027, a race she was widely expected to dominate as Macron’s term limit expires.

“This is my political death,” Le Pen had warned during the trial, accusing prosecutors of targeting her to thwart her presidential bid. “Eleven million French voters chose me—millions could now be deprived of their candidate.” RN vice-president Louis Aliot echoed her outrage, calling the ruling “an assault on democracy” and vowing to fight it.

The case, sparked by a 2015 European Parliament probe, exposed what Judge Benedicte de Perthuis called a “systematic scheme” to cut party costs at the EU’s expense. Despite Le Pen’s defense that such practices were common and the rules unclear at the time, the court upheld the charges, bolstered by a March 28 Constitutional Council decision affirming the legality of immediate bans.

With Le Pen sidelined, attention turns to Jordan Bardella, the 29-year-old RN president and her protégé, as a potential successor. Bardella, who led the party to a strong showing in the 2024 European elections, may now spearhead the RN’s 2027 campaign, though some party insiders question his readiness for a presidential run.

The ruling has ignited fierce debate in France. Supporters see it as judicial overreach, with RN officials framing Le Pen as a martyr against an establishment bent on silencing the far-right. Critics, including the European Parliament’s legal team, hail it as a victory for accountability, arguing that public funds must be protected. “This is about equality before the law,” said lawyer Patrick Maisonneuve.

Le Pen is expected to appeal, but the process may stretch beyond the 2027 election, leaving her political fate (and France’s) in limbo.