Le Pen Returns to Race After Appeal Ruling as Bardella Becomes Campaign Chief

Overview

• Marine Le Pen has declared her candidacy for the 2027 presidential election and launched a campaign focused on cost of living, security, health and education.
• A Paris court of appeal convicted Le Pen on July 7 in the euro-parliament assistants case but her lawyers lodged a pourvoi en cassation that suspends enforcement of sanctions and preserves her immediate eligibility to run.
• Jordan Bardella has shifted from front-runner to operational lead for the RN, saying his three duties are to build the program, form a government and win a parliamentary majority, and he presents himself as the likely prime minister if RN wins.
• Post-announcement polls showed Le Pen recovering to levels previously credited to Bardella, with an Ifop survey putting her near 36% in first-round voting, while the move provoked concern among business leaders and signs of dissatisfaction inside RN.
• What to watch next: the Court of Cassation decision, Bardella’s effort to assemble a cross-right 'government d'union nationale', and whether rival parties and employers can blunt RN momentum before the legislative battle that would decide who governs.