PARIS — Far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been handed a lifeline in her bid to become France’s president after a court of appeal said it would issue a decision on her case by summer next year.
The dramatic intervention means the National Rally politician, front-runner to replace Emmanuel Macron in 2027, lives to fight another day after being banned on Monday from running for office.
It is the latest twist in a saga that has gripped French politics. Le Pen, a populist, antimigration firebrand, was found guilty alongside 23 others of embezzling European Parliament funds and handed a mix of fines, suspended prison sentences and bans from public office.
The court ruled that the gravity of Le Pen’s crimes meant that her five-year ban on running for election would be immediately enacted.
This was seen as a near-fatal blow to her chances of standing in the next presidential vote — with Le Pen acknowledging that the path would be “narrow” but vowing to fight on.
With Macron unable to serve a third term, Le Pen was odds on to replace him. She has previously made three unsuccessful presidential bids.
Le Pen has already appealed the verdict. Two other defendants have also done so, according to the court.
Monday’s verdict sent shockwaves throughout French politics, with Le Pen’s allies slamming the ruling as politicized and antidemocratic and U.S. President Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk also backing her.
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