Paris appeal court will decide on Tuesday at 13:30 GMT whether Marine Le Pen can run for the French presidency in 2027. The court will rule on an appeal against a 2025 conviction that found her guilty of embezzling €1.4 million of European Parliament funds to pay party employees from 2004 to 2016. Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison, two suspended, and two to be served under house arrest with an electronic tag. Prosecutors request that the five‑year ban on public office, imposed on 31 March 2025, remain in place, with a four‑year jail term that includes one year under electronic supervision. Le Pen has said she is not afraid of the decision and will continue to fight for her ideas. If the court upholds the conviction, she will be barred from standing for office for more than two years, effectively preventing her candidacy. She could appeal the decision to France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, within ten days, a process that would take several months. Jordan Bardella, the party chairman since 2022, has been named as a potential replacement candidate and said he would support Le Pen’s platform if she is unable to run. Polls in early 2025 show Le Pen and Bardella each at about 30 percent for the first round. Twelve other National Rally members were convicted in March 2025, receiving sentences ranging from six months to one year with electronic tags or bans from public office.