Le Pen Confirms Bid
Parisians were divided on Wednesday after Marine Le Pen confirmed she would run for president in 2027, hours after a Paris appeals court upheld her conviction in the National Rally European parliamentary assistants case.
Footage shows locals and tourists walking near the Arc de Triomphe. At a convenience store newsstand, a newspaper headline reads: ‘Marine Le Pen launches a fresh bid for the Elysee and appeals to the Court of Cassation.’
“I don’t think it’s right for a convicted person to run for office. To join the police or become a firefighter, you need a clean criminal record – so why shouldn’t politicians have one too?” local resident Herve said.
“My view is that when you say something, you should stick to it. She said she wouldn’t run if she were wearing an ankle monitor, and now here she is, running. I don’t agree with that,” another local, Sandrine, said.
Appeal Keeps Campaign
Le Pen announced her candidacy on Tuesday and said she would take the case to the Court of Cassation, France’s highest court for criminal appeals. She said the appeal would suspend the sentence and allow her to campaign without an electronic bracelet.
“She should have passed the torch to Bardella rather than running, knowing that she had a criminal conviction,” Parisian Myriam said.
Le Pen was fined €100,000 and sentenced to three years in prison, two of them suspended, with one year to be served under electronic monitoring. She was also handed a 45-month ban from standing for office, with 30 months suspended.
Because the effective 15-month ineligibility period has already been served, she is currently eligible to run in the 2027 presidential election. The Court of Cassation could still affect the race if it rules before the first round on April 18, 2027.
Mixed Public Reactions
Jacques offered a different view, saying there is always a scandal during every election.
“I think the justice system leans too far to the left – the judiciary, in particular,” he said.
“It’s a lot of fuss over nothing. What we need to understand is that she represents a significant portion of the electorate in France; she’s looking out for the French people and managing the campaign,” Jacques added.
Le Pen denies wrongdoing. She says she and other National Rally figures are innocent and argues the case does not amount to embezzlement of public funds.
The case centres on allegations that European Parliament funds intended for parliamentary assistants were used to pay National Rally party staff in France.
Article by Viory
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