Paris, Jul 7 (EFE).- The leader of France’s far-right National Rally (RN), Marine Le Pen, announced on Tuesday her candidacy for president following a ruling that sentenced her to one year in prison for embezzlement of European public funds, but cleared her to run in the 2027 election by reducing her disqualification period. “Yes, I will be a candidate in the presidential election,” Le Pen declared on TF1’s prime-time news program, where she appeared alongside the president of her party, Jordan Bardella. Le Pen, 57, also announced that she will file an appeal with the Supreme Court to “exhaust all legal avenues” to defend her “innocence” in the embezzlement case. This legal action will suspend the enforcement of the sentence handed down on Tuesday until the Supreme Court rules, so she will not have to campaign while wearing an electronic ankle monitor. “I had stated that I would not campaign while wearing the electronic device. But since I have the option to appeal to the Supreme Court (…) and the appeal suspends the effects of the sentence, I will campaign without the electronic monitoring device,” emphasized the leader of France’s far right. In any case, Le Pen also announced that Bardella, 30, will be her prime minister if she reaches the Élysée Palace on her fourth attempt. «We complement each other,» she said, referring to her heir apparent, noting that the two of them form «a reliable duo of prime minister and president.» «We have solutions, and this duo is a winner; it’s even a winning formula,» she insisted, adding that both of their political ambitions are to fight «for France.» When asked what would happen if the Supreme Court did not acquit her, she replied, “We’ll see.” “The French people will be the judges (…) It’s strange that the French are considered incapable of making a decision,” she added. In its ruling, the Paris Court of Appeals argued that the reduction of Le Pen’s disqualification period, compared to the sentence handed down in the first instance, is based on the principle of proportionality and takes into account “the voter’s freedom of choice,” considering this to be an essential condition for the democratic expression of the vote. In a statement, the court noted that disqualification was not a mandatory penalty at the time the offenses were committed and pointed out that the 15-month sentence is sufficient to repair the damage caused to public integrity. Arguing that maintaining it, the court added, would have violated “the principle of freedom to stand for office.” EFEcat-ac/mcd