PARIS (AP) — French far-right leader Marine Le Pen ’s political future is on the line Tuesday as a Paris appeals court rules on her eligibility to stand in the next presidential election. The verdict will be delivered from 1:30 p.m. and could take several hours to read. It could reshape the 2027 contest to replace President Emmanuel Macron if it forces the popular Le Pen out of the picture. The constitution prevents Macron from seeking a third consecutive term.Le Pen, 57, is appealing a March 2025 conviction that found her and other members of her National Rally party guilty of misusing European Parliament funds by paying party staff with money intended for EU parliamentary assistants between 2004 and 2016.The lower court sentenced her to prison time, suspended pending appeal, and imposed a five-year ban on holding elected office.
Le Pen has denied any wrongdoing and still hopes to mount a fourth bid for the presidency. But a verdict that upholds a lengthy ban could make that impossible and suspend her career that has transformed the National Rally into a major political force.Such a verdict could also reverberate on the European Union, by sidelining a fierce critic of the 27-nation bloc.
