PARIS (AP) — The future of French far-right leader Marine Le Pen hangs in the balance as a Paris appeals court is set to decide Tuesday whether she can participate in the 2027 presidential election. If barred, her protégé, Jordan Bardella, who leads the National Rally party, would likely step in as the candidate.
Le Pen, 57, is appealing a March 2025 verdict that found her and others from her National Rally party guilty of improperly using European Parliament funds from 2004 to 2016. If the court upholds the conviction, she risks facing a ban from holding public office and possibly wearing an electronic tag.
Key Moments in Le Pen and Bardella’s Careers
1968:
Marine Le Pen was born on August 5 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a suburb of Paris. She is the youngest daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the founder of the far-right National Front party.
1972:
Jean-Marie Le Pen establishes the National Front, focusing on anti-immigration and nationalist agendas. Over the years, he denies the Holocaust and faces multiple convictions for antisemitism and inciting racial violence.
1995:
Jordan Bardella is born on September 13 in Drancy, a low-income area near Paris. He grew up in public housing and is of Italian and Algerian descent.
2002:
Jean-Marie Le Pen surprises many by advancing to the presidential runoff, where he is defeated by Jacques Chirac in a landslide. This event marks the far right’s emergence as a formidable political force in France.
2011:
Marine Le Pen takes over the National Front from her father and begins rebranding efforts to broaden the party’s appeal. She expels Jean-Marie from the party in 2015 following further controversial statements.
2012:
Marine Le Pen runs for presidency for the first time, finishing third in the initial round with almost 18% of the votes. At 17, Bardella joins the National Front.
2017:
Marine Le Pen reaches the presidential runoff but loses to Emmanuel Macron, who secures 66.1% of the votes. Bardella gains visibility as a party spokesperson.
2018:
The National Front is renamed the National Rally as part of Le Pen’s strategy to make the party more palatable to mainstream voters.
2019:
Bardella, 23, leads the National Rally’s list in the European Parliament elections, where the party finishes first in France. He is elected as a Member of the European Parliament and becomes a party vice president.
2022:
Le Pen makes it to the presidential runoff again, gaining over 41% of the vote against Macron — a record for France’s far right. Bardella becomes president of the National Rally.
2024:
The National Rally becomes the largest single force in the National Assembly, although it does not achieve an outright majority.
2025:
On March 30, Le Pen and other National Rally officials are convicted of misusing European Parliament funds. She is sentenced to prison and barred from public office for five years. Le Pen appeals the decision.
2026:
The Paris Court of Appeal is scheduled to rule on Le Pen’s appeal, which could determine her eligibility for the 2027 presidential race.
2027:
The presidential election is slated for April 18 and May 2, determining the successor to Macron, who cannot run for a third consecutive term.
