Le Pen’s Fate in 2027 Race Hinges on July Election Ban Ruling

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen will learn in July whether she convinced judges to overturn an election ban — a decision that’ll shape who leads the National Rally into the presidential poll next year.

The Paris court of appeals said it would deliver the crucial ruling on July 7 over embezzlement accusations dating back to Le Pen’s time as a member of the European Parliament. At the heart of the case is whether aides, paid with European funds, worked to further the National Rally’s domestic agenda rather than focusing on matters in Brussels.