{"id":7777,"date":"2026-07-09T16:36:47","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T16:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/07\/09\/she-doesnt-give-up-that-easily-frances-le-pen-eyes-the-elysee\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T16:36:47","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T16:36:47","slug":"she-doesnt-give-up-that-easily-frances-le-pen-eyes-the-elysee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/07\/09\/she-doesnt-give-up-that-easily-frances-le-pen-eyes-the-elysee\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018She doesn\u2019t give up that easily\u2019: France\u2019s Le Pen eyes the Elysee"},"content":{"rendered":"<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Hours after an appeals court lifted a ban on Marine Le Pen\u2019s eligibility for the next presidential election while upholding her embezzlement conviction, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/7\/french-far-right-leader-le-pen-says-will-run-in-2027-presidential-election\">France\u2019s far-right leader announced plans<\/a> to run in 2027 \u2013 possibly with an electronic ankle bracelet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am a candidate in the presidential election. I will not change my mind,\u201d Le Pen told the TF1 television channel.<\/p>\n<section>\n<h2>Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n<p><span>list of 4 items<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>list 1 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/features\/longform\/2026\/5\/15\/how-the-far-right-got-its-name\">How the far right got its name<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 2 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/newsfeed\/2026\/7\/7\/frances-marine-le-pen-must-wear-ankle-tag-after-appeal-ruling\">France\u2019s Marine Le Pen must wear ankle tag after appeal ruling<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 3 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/7\/8\/far-right-leader-le-pen-starts-campaign-faces-mixed-reactions-in-france\">Far-right leader Le Pen starts campaign, faces mixed reactions in France<\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>list 4 of 4<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/video\/newsfeed\/2026\/7\/8\/marine-le-pen-cleared-to-run-in-frances-2027-presidential-election\">Marine Le Pen cleared to run in France\u2019s 2027 Presidential election<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Europe\u2019s right-wing forces had been watching closely as some had expected her to hand the reins to her protege, Jordan Bardella, who at 30 is 27 years younger than Le Pen, popular, and more savvy on social media.<\/p>\n<p>Le Pen\u2019s far-right National Rally (RN) party opposes globalisation and immigration and seeks stricter border controls and fewer ecological policies. She is the daughter of the party\u2019s founder and has run for president unsuccessfully three times.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like Russian nesting dolls. Jordan Bardella is part of Marine Le Pen\u2019s political doctrine, and he\u2019s committed to her,\u201d RN lawmaker Jean-Philippe Tanguy said on French TV channel BFM.<\/p>\n<p>In March 2025, Le Pen was <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2025\/4\/1\/le-pens-conviction-in-france-career-ending-or-fuel-for-a-new-far-right\">convicted<\/a> of embezzling European Union funds. The original ruling disqualified her from running for public office for five years, but the appeals court reduced the ban to 45 months with 30 months suspended. The ban started in March last year, so she has already served the 15 months.<\/p>\n<p>She is now planning to appeal to the Court of Cassation, which is the country\u2019s top civil court.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4753364\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4753364\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-07T184139Z_418185920_RC259MAK5N2Y_RTRMADP_3_FRANCE-POLITICS-LE-PEN-1783596793.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C514&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, member of parliament for the Rassemblement National (National Rally - RN) party, poses prior to an interview on the evening news broadcast of French TV channel TF1, following the verdict in her appeal trial over misuse of EU funds, in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, France, July 7, 2026. REUTERS\/Christian Hartmann\/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4753364\">Marine Le Pen prepares for an interview on the French TV channel TF1 in Paris after an appeals court upheld her conviction over the misuse of EU funds but shortened the ban on her running for office on July 7, 2026 [Christian Hartmann\/Pool\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rim-Sarah Alouane, legal scholar and an associate researcher in public law at the University Toulouse Capitole, told Al Jazeera: \u201cIf she appeals, there will still be legal uncertainties into her campaign with the possibility of a final judgement shortly before or during the election. But if she does not appeal, she\u2019s accepting a criminal sentence while running for the highest office.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although political corruption cases are not rare in France, Beatrice Guillemont, a legal researcher at the University of Bordeaux, told Al Jazeera: \u201cThe judicial approach to this particular trial is unusual. The court of appeals agreed to expedite the proceedings in order to issue a ruling before the 2027 presidential election. The Cour de Cassation indicated that it will do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"legal-uncertainties-into-her-campaign\">\u2018Legal uncertainties into her campaign\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>Before 2020, there was a push to fight corruption and reinforce political integrity in France, but the political climate has shifted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are loopholes in the system. France\u2019s public policy on combating corruption is insufficient,\u201d Guillemont said. \u201cThis is a real issue in the workings of democracies, and it speaks volumes. To me, it actually reflects a backlash.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But being an eligible candidate and operating a presidential campaign are two different things, according to Alouane.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s quite unprecedented because she\u2019s going to run for election while serving a criminal sentence under electronic monitoring,\u201d she said. \u201cEven if judges were to grant a big authorisation to travel, we can ask whether this is compatible with the realities and the principles of a presidential campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The far-right\u2019s popularity in France has normalised in recent years.<\/p>\n<p>Before her conviction, an opinion poll predicted that Le Pen would secure up to 37 percent of votes in the presidential election \u2013 more than 22 points higher than in 2022 and 10 points ahead of any other candidate.<\/p>\n<p>After Le Pen\u2019s conviction, the RN\u2019s rising star, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2024\/6\/29\/who-is-jordan-bardella-frances-far-right-star-eyeing-the-premiership\">Bardella<\/a>, had been positioned as the party\u2019s potential presidential candidate. He attracts a younger subset of the French population that the far right has traditionally struggled to reach.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"she-s-extremely-dangerous\">\u2018She\u2019s extremely dangerous\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>In France\u2019s last parliamentary elections, the proportion of 18- to 24-year-olds who voted for the RN doubled in two years. Bardella, who dropped out of college, joined the party when he was 16. Before being elected to the European Parliament, he had never held public office. Now, he is president of the RN.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBardella is the guy who has always been waiting to be the frontrunner. I don\u2019t think it will happen just yet because Marine Le Pen is well established. She doesn\u2019t give up on her seat that easily. This is a very hereditary, elitist party,\u201d Alouane said.<\/p>\n<p>If Le Pen does run and succeeds, she could appoint Bardella as prime minister.<\/p>\n<p>For Baptiste Colin, a 31-year-old theatre production assistant in Marseille who votes left, Le Pen is a more viable candidate than Bardella.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHonestly, she\u2019s extremely dangerous. She has an incredible ability to persuade people and to turn everything to her advantage,\u201d Colin told Al Jazeera. \u201cWe have a lot of work cut out for us on the left to prepare for another election in which Le Pen is a candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4752661\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4752661\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2014-11-30T120000Z_1474137313_GM1EABU1DWT01_RTRMADP_3_FRANCE-NATIONALFRONT-1783585812.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C551&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"Marine Le Pen (C), France's National Front political party leader, reacts with her father Jean-Marie Le Pen (R) after being re-elected during their congress in Lyon November 30, 2014. REUTERS\/Robert Pratta (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4752661\">Marine Le Pen, leader of the party then known as the National Front, is congratulated by her father Jean-Marie Le Pen, after being re-elected during a 2014 party congress in Lyon [File: Robert Pratta\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Bardella is pro-corporation and less antagonistic to the EU than Le Pen.<\/p>\n<p>He has positioned himself as an advocate for the French everyman and everywoman although that has been called into question recently when he announced his relationship with Maria Carolina de Bourbon des Deux-Siciles, an Italian princess and influencer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBardella is currently steering towards an economic shift more in line with [Prime Minister Giorgia] Meloni\u2019s in Italy \u2013\u00a0 a shift towards liberalisation. Marine Le Pen has always maintained a populist stance on economic issues,\u201d Colin said.<\/p>\n<p>Although the court of appeals maintained Le Pen\u2019s embezzlement conviction, the reduced sentence seems far too light for Colin.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBefore, I felt that democracy in my country had worked,\u201d he said, adding that he sees organising the left as one of the biggest challenges going into 2027.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4752655\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4752655\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/2026-07-05T110711Z_1828395870_RC267MAETQU6_RTRMADP_3_FRANCE-POLITICS-FARRIGHT-1783585728.jpg?w=770&#038;resize=770%2C514&#038;quality=80\" alt=\"French far-right leader Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella, president of the French far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally - RN) political party, embrace after speaking at a country fair with supporters in Lievin, northern France, July 4, 2026. REUTERS\/Tom Nicholson TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY\" fetchpriority=\"low\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4752655\">Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella embrace after speaking at a country fair in Lievin in northern France, on July 4, 2026 [Tom Nicholson\/Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hours after an appeals court lifted a ban on Marine Le Pen\u2019s eligibility for the next presidential election while upholding her embezzlement conviction, France\u2019s far-right leader announced plans to run in 2027 \u2013 possibly with an electronic ankle bracelet. \u201cI am a candidate in the presidential election. I will not change my mind,\u201d Le Pen &#8230; <a title=\"\u2018She doesn\u2019t give up that easily\u2019: France\u2019s Le Pen eyes the Elysee\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/2026\/07\/09\/she-doesnt-give-up-that-easily-frances-le-pen-eyes-the-elysee\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about \u2018She doesn\u2019t give up that easily\u2019: France\u2019s Le Pen eyes the Elysee\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7778,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7777\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pronews.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}