A Paris appeals court is set to rule Tuesday on whether far-right leader Marine Le Pen can run in next year's French presidential election, after she challenged a ban on holding elected office.
The decision will determine if the 57-year-old Le Pen or her 30-year-old protege, Jordan Bardella, leads the National Rally (RN) party in the upcoming general elections.
Le Pen previously finished third in the 2012 presidential race and lost runoffs to Emmanuel Macron in 2017 and 2022.
"I'm not scared," Le Pen said, expressing readiness for the decision but stipulating that her participation depends on her freedom to campaign.
"If I can run, I will – as long as I can campaign," she added.
Political allies acknowledged that her potential ineligibility would severely impact the party's structure. "It would be a kind of personal grief if it happened," said lawmaker Thomas Ménagé.
A lower court handed Le Pen a five-year ban from public office and a four-year prison sentence, with two years suspended, in March last year for embezzling European Parliament funds.
The court found Le Pen and 24 others guilty of using EP funds to pay RN staff in France between 2004 and 2016.
Le Pen denied any systematic embezzlement scheme, calling it "a mistake."
She admitted some staff paid as EU aides worked in France but maintained she believed it was permitted.
"If I'm allowed to be a candidate, but am effectively prevented from campaigning freely – then you understand, that wouldn't be possible," she said.
She emphasized she would not rely on judicial authorizations during a political race. "I can't be dependent on a judge to authorise me to campaign," Le Pen stated.
Le Pen also indicated she might not pursue further appeals to France's highest court due to the election timeline.
"You can't launch a presidential campaign at the last minute," she said.
Prosecutors have requested that her five-year ban remain active and her jail term be set at four years, with three suspended.
If the court reduces the ban to two years or less, the restriction would expire before the first voting round on April 18, 2027.
