The 2027 presidential elections may become irrelevant for the leader of France's "National Rally" Marine Le Pen if the court finds her guilty. The politician will hand over the reins to a successor if her appeal in the embezzlement case is rejected. This is reported by UNN, with reference to Politico.
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French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has stated that she will not run for president of France in 2027 if the appeals court does not overturn her current ban from participating in elections.
Previously, the long-time head of the "National Rally" party (formerly the "National Front") ran for president three times.
Le Pen was found guilty in March 2025 of misappropriating European Parliament funds. The politician has repeatedly denied this guilt. Le Pen is expected to return to court on January 13, after appealing the verdict in the appeals court.
On Monday, the State Council confirmed Marine Le Pen's automatic resignation from her position as departmental councilor of Pas-de-Calais following her conviction and a five-year ban from holding public office, which took effect immediately, in the parliamentary assistants case. This serves as a reminder to the three-time presidential election finalist that her political future depends on court decisions, and prompts her to consider a successor.
If Le Pen is found guilty again and sentenced, she has promised to accept her fate and hand over the reins of power to her 30-year-old protégé Jordan Bardella.
Jordan Bardella seems to me the obvious (candidate for the helm)
Recall
In October, calls for Emmanuel Macron's resignation and early elections grew amid a government crisis.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has promised to suspend the landmark pension reform until the 2027 elections.
