A French appeals court on July 7, 2026, upheld the embezzlement conviction of conservative former presidential candidate Marine Le Pen but reduced the ban preventing her from running for elected office. This ruling clears her path to run for president in the 2027 election, although she must wear an ankle monitor and serve one year of house arrest.

Le Pen and other members of her conservative National Rally party were originally found guilty in 2025 by France's Paris Criminal Court of embezzling millions of euros in European Union funds to pay aides for domestic political work. Le Pen's initial sentence included five years in prison (with two years suspended and three years on house arrest) and a five-year ban from holding political office, which would have barred her from the 2027 presidential race.

The appeals court reduced her sentence to three years, with two years suspended and one year of house arrest, effectively lifting the political ban since the suspension period was counted from March 2025. This makes Le Pen immediately eligible to run for office.

Despite eligibility, Le Pen expressed concerns about the impact of house arrest on her campaign, stating, "If I'm allowed to be a candidate but am effectively prevented from campaigning freely, then you understand that wouldn't be possible."

Following the verdict, Le Pen went directly to National Rally headquarters to plan the party's next steps. National Rally president Jordan Bardella and Le Pen have shown solidarity, as seen during a party event on July 4, 2026.

The National Rally party is still reviewing the court's decision and plans to issue a further statement, describing themselves as "partially satisfied."

Sources