Overview
- A three-judge Paris appeals panel will hand down its decision on Tuesday, July 7, on Le Pen’s 2025 conviction for misusing EU funds and whether she remains eligible to run in April–May 2027.
- Prosecutors have asked the court to confirm a €100,000 fine, four years’ prison including one year without probation, and a five-year ban on standing in elections, a result that would almost certainly bar her from the race.
- Le Pen was sentenced in first instance to four years (two suspended, two under house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor) and a five-year ineligibility; she has said she will not campaign if required to wear a monitor.
- RN has prearranged a public choreography for the verdict day with Le Pen taking evening media lead and Jordan Bardella standing aside at the courthouse, signaling a prepared transition if she is ruled ineligible.
- Cross-border searches in France, Belgium, Italy and Spain targeting communications consultant Paul-Alexandre Martin have created separate legal pressure on RN, while polls reported by outlets place Le Pen and Bardella near 35 percent in the first round, making the court outcome decisive for the shape of the 2027 campaign.