French court eases Le Pen ban, orders ankle tag in EU funds case
What's next: The ruling keeps open a path to the 2027 presidential race, but nightly monitoring could hamper a nationwide campaign.
A French appeals court upheld Marine Le Pen’s conviction over misuse of European Parliament funds but cut her ban from public office enough to preserve a possible 2027 presidential run. The court also gave the far-right leader a three-year prison sentence, with two years suspended and one to be served under electronic monitoring.
The revised ineligibility period totals 45 months, with 30 months suspended, leaving Le Pen eligible by the April 2027 vote because much of the 15-month effective ban has already elapsed since the 2025 ruling. Her case stems from findings that National Rally figures used EU parliamentary assistant funds to pay party staff in France. A sentencing judge will still set the terms of the ankle tag, including when she must be home at night.