Marine Le Pen Says She Won’t Run If Forced to Wear Tracking Bracelet
French right-wing leader Marine Le Pen warns she will withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if Paris Court mandates she wear an electronic tag over EU fund misuse charges.
The leader of France’s national right, Marine Le Pen, stated that she will not participate in next year’s presidential election if the Paris Court of Appeal forces her to wear an electronic bracelet due to alleged misuse of European Union funds.
Le Pen is hoping for a favorable ruling from the Court of Appeal, which will be announced on July 7, as this decision could jeopardize her presidential ambitions. On Wednesday afternoon, she told the news channel BFM TV:
I am very well aware that the decision concerning my candidacy does not depend on me.
At 57 years old, Le Pen is challenging a March 2025 ruling that found her and other members of the National Front party guilty of misusing EU funds related to the hiring of assistants from 2004 to 2016, who allegedly worked for the party rather than performing parliamentary duties.
If found guilty, she could face a sentence that includes a ban from holding office or the obligation to wear an electronic bracelet — or both, among other penalties. After the five-day judicial hearing concluded a month ago, Le Pen said:
The decision is in the hands of three judges who will decide whether the millions of French people who want to vote for me will be able to do so.
She added:
You can imagine that if the court follows the lower court’s ruling, which sentenced me to wear an electronic bracelet, I will not be able to campaign.
Le Pen denies the allegations that she was a central figure in an alleged fraud aimed at diverting European funds.
If she is allowed to participate, she is considered a strong candidate to succeed the centrist president Emmanuel Macron in the 2027 elections. If not, she has stated that her 30-year-old “protégé,” Jordan Bardella, will run in her place.
