Le Pen Faces Decisive Court Ruling on 2027 Bid

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen faces a decisive court ruling on 7 July on her bid to overturn an election ban that could knock her out of the 2027 presidential race or clear the way for her to run for a fourth time.

A French court in March 2025 barred Le Pen from public office for five years and sentenced her to four years in prison for embezzling European Parliament funds, pending appeal.

The ruling will determine whether Le Pen, 57, or her 30-year-old protege Jordan Bardella carries the National Rally (RN) banner into the election. The party says it remains united, but Bardella’s meteoric rise has caused internal tensions, particularly over economic policy.

Bardella, who recruited a personal adviser from an investment fund controlled by libertarian billionaire Pierre-Édouard Stérin, advocates a more free-market line than Le Pen. He has also voiced his own ideas for pension reform, raising questions inside the party over how far his platform might depart from hers.

Opinion polls suggest that both Le Pen and Bardella would comfortably win the first round of the 2027 election. An Ifop-Fiducial poll showed Bardella outperforming Le Pen, with up to 37% of voting intentions compared with her 32%.

According to Ifop’s Frederic Dabi, Bardella scores more favorably among private-sector workers, business owners and voters aged 50 to 64. Polls also suggest he would win a second-round runoff more easily against a left-wing candidate than against a centrist rival.

(Reuters, Max)