A French appeals court has cleared the way for Marine Le Pen to run in France’s 2027 presidential election, while at the same time upholding her conviction in the European Parliament funds case and ordering her to serve one year at home under electronic monitoring.

The court sentenced Le Pen to three years in prison, with two of those years suspended, and reduced her ban from running for public office to 15 months — down from the far longer restriction imposed in the original ruling. The decision means Le Pen is now legally eligible to run in next year’s presidential race, even as she remains under sentence.

Le Pen, however, has indicated that the ankle monitor could still be a major obstacle. She said last week that a presidential candidate must be fully free to travel and campaign, and suggested she would not run if she is forced to do so while wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet. Under the current ruling, she would be eligible to seek a sentence reduction in January 2027.

Le Pen was originally barred from public office after a Paris court found her and other National Rally members guilty of misusing European Parliament funds to pay party staff in France. The case has become one of the most consequential issues hanging over the 2027 race, with Le Pen widely viewed as one of the strongest contenders if she ultimately decides to enter.

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