France Le Pen eyes 2027 vote, says swift appeal 'good news'
Le Pen told Le Parisien she would use "all avenues" of appeal to ensure she can stand, including France's Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) as well as the regular Paris court of appeal.
President of the parliamentary group of the French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party, Marine Le Pen leaves the headquarters of the French far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party, after a French court sentenced her to a five-year ban on running for office and a prison term in a trial on charges of embezzlement of European public funds, in Paris on 31 March 2025. Picture: AFP
PARIS - French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said in an interview published Wednesday that she would use all possible legal avenues to stand in 2027 elections despite a criminal conviction, hailing a promise to hear her appeal quickly as "very good news".
Le Pen told Le Parisien she would use "all avenues" of appeal to ensure she can stand, including France's Constitutional Court and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) as well as the regular Paris court of appeal.
Le Pen was on Monday given a partly suspended jail term and a fine but, above all, an immediate ban from taking part in elections for five years after being convicted for a scheme at the EU parliament where assistants were actually working for her party.
If it stands, the conviction would eliminate Le Pen from the 2027 election. According to current polling she would easily win the first round and describes herself as the "favourite" to succeed Emmanuel Macron.
The news sparked shockwaves in France but also in certain quarters around the world, with the likes of President Donald Trump, his billionaire adviser Elon Musk and the Kremlin expressing concern.
The RN is also planning to hold a major protest on Sunday to protest against the verdict, with Le Pen saying she is innocent of all the charges.
'TURMOIL'
But in a huge boost to Le Pen, the Paris appeals court said on Tuesday it would examine the case within a timeframe that could potentially allow her to contest the poll if her conviction is overturned or sentence changed.
She has remained characteristically defiant since the ruling was issued, giving media interviews and comparing her conviction to a "nuclear bomb" unleashed by the establishment.
"This is very good news, in which I can see the turmoil created by the ruling," she told Le Parisien.
Le Pen added: "I will appeal to the European Court of Human Rights and the Constitutional Council. I will use all possible avenues of appeal. I will not let this (her elimination) happen," she said.
The Constitutional Council, France's highest constitutional authority, could rule on whether her elimination was incompatible with a voter's right to choose.
The ECHR, meanwhile, while a court of last resort when all domestic appeals are exhausted, can be called upon in exceptional circumstances to issue urgent rulings.
Le Pen, who has sought to turn the far-right National Rally (RN) into an electable force and rid it of the legacy of her father and its co-founder Jean-Marie Le Pen, insisted that she was still planning to stand in the elections.
Much speculation in the last days has focused on a so-called "Plan B" where RN party leader Jordan Bardella, 29, would take her place. But Le Pen said she still wanted to be president with Bardella as prime minister.
"There's no question today of considering a Plan B before even taking Plan A to the end."
But she said the 2027 campaign, which would be her fourth, would likely be her last. "Unless I am elected," she added.
PROTECTION
The Paris Court of Appeal said Tuesday that it would examine Le Pen's case "within a timeframe that should allow a decision to be reached in the summer of 2026".
This could mean that the new trial would be held by early 2026, and that the decision would therefore be handed down well before the 2027 presidential election.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau meanwhile said an investigation had been opened into threats made against the panel of judges who convicted Le Pen.
The presiding judge Benedicte de Perthuis is receiving protection, including increased patrols and regular rounds around her home, after receiving threats a source close to the case told AFP.
Le Pen however was unrepentant over her attacks in the media on the judge, a specialist in financial crimes, saying she had "specifically targeted the presidential election".