Le Pen defies house arrest, says she will run for president
Despite an appellate court imposing one year of house arrest, Marine Le Pen has announced she will run in France's 2027 presidential election.
Marine Le Pen, the former leader of France's far-right National Rally (RN), has declared her candidacy for next year's presidential election, even after being sentenced to house arrest on Tuesday.
The appellate court found Le Pen guilty of creating fake jobs at the European Parliament. Her sentence includes one year of house arrest with an electronic monitoring bracelet, a 45-month ban from holding public office (30 months suspended, 15 already served since last year's lower court ruling), and a three-year prison term, two of which are suspended.
Le Pen had previously stated she would not run if placed under house arrest, arguing it would hinder her campaign. “When you're a presidential candidate, you need complete freedom of movement,” she said last week. However, on Tuesday evening she told TF1 that she would indeed stand as a candidate and would appeal the verdict.
France's presidential election is scheduled for April 18, 2027, with a potential second round on May 2. Current President Emmanuel Macron is ineligible to run due to constitutional term limits.
