PARIS — A French appeals court issued a mixed ruling Tuesday in the case of Marine Le Pen, upholding her conviction on charges of misusing European Union funds while at the same time reducing the duration of her ban from holding elected office.
The decision could potentially reopen the door for the far-right political figure to pursue the French presidency in 2027 — but significant hurdles remain.
While the court shortened the office ban, it also handed down a three-year jail sentence. Two of those years were suspended, but Le Pen was ordered to wear an electronic ankle monitoring device for one full year — a condition that would make running a presidential campaign both politically and logistically challenging.
The ruling leaves considerable uncertainty about whether Le Pen will ultimately seek France’s top political office in the upcoming election cycle.
