Paris (France) (AFP) – France's far-right chief Marine Le Pen is bracing for a key verdict on Tuesday that will determine if she can run in next year's presidential elections, when her party has its best chance yet of winning power.
Issued on: 07/07/2026 - 04:02
3 min Reading time
A lower court last year sentenced Le Pen, 57, to a five-year ban from public office and two years in prison over a fake jobs scam at the European Parliament.If the appeals court upholds that ruling, it will be a devastating blow to the three-time presidential candidate's hopes to replace outgoing centrist President Emmanuel Macron.The decision, expected to be read out from 1:30 pm (1130 GMT), could also find her guilty but include a shorter ban from public office and some form of house arrest.If the sentence prevents her from campaigning, she has said she will hand over to her 30-year-old lieutenant, Jordan Bardella, the leader of their National Rally (RN) party."We will never be discouraged, we will always fight," she told crowds at a party event at the weekend.Le Pen came third in the 2012 election, then twice made it to a runoff against Macron, in 2017 and 2022."I'm not scared," she said last week."If I can run, I will -- as long as I can campaign."'Witch hunt'The first trial found Le Pen -- along with 24 former European lawmakers, assistants and accountants, as well as the anti-immigration party itself -- guilty of operating a system from 2004 to 2016 to use European Parliament funds to employ RN staff in France.
