Marine Le Pen Can Run for French President—But May Have to Campaign Wearing an Ankle Tag

Marine Le Pen remains eligible to contest France's 2027 presidential election following an appeals court ruling, despite her conviction and ongoing legal proceedings. (Credit: Rémi Noyon/Flickr via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.)

Marine Le Pen has been cleared to run in France's 2027 presidential election, but her campaign could begin under electronic monitoring after an appeals court upheld her conviction while restoring her eligibility to stand.

The ruling gives the National Rally leader a renewed chance to compete for the presidency after months of uncertainty over whether she would be barred from the race. It also creates an extraordinary political scenario in which one of France's leading presidential hopefuls could be campaigning while serving part of a criminal sentence.